The Night
by Scathe
Summary: AU: On the night of a full moon, Ichigo Kurosaki is unaware just how much his life is about to change. And Rukia Kuchiki has no idea that the boy she watches every night is about to turn her entire world on it's head.
1. The Beginning

A/N: Holy shit ... it has been forever. To all the people who have followed me. All the people who have liked my stories and demanded that I finish them, I'm sorry. Real life has been ... incredibly strange these past few years. This is the first time I've ever been able to sit down and really write anything. Thank you though, all of you, for your support. It means the world to me.

After 686, I felt the need to write this. I might be riding high on emotion and anger, but honestly ... I need to get this out. This has been a story idea that I've been trying to make work as it's own original piece, but I've never been able to do it. So I'm turning it into a fanfic, because it hit me today, that it would work best as one. And, I need to do these two justice. I need to give them a proper story. IchiRuki is not dead. They live forever in my heart. They will always be the pairing that I turn to. I will never except the 'ending' we were delivered. Not ever. And this is my tribute to one of the greatest manga couples I've ever invested my life into.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. I wish I did. The characters deserve better.

* * *

Ichigo Kurosaki stood on the roof of his apartment building, staring up at the full moon. It was another night of no sleep. Another night where the insomnia won out again. Closing his eyes as a cool gust of wind hit his face, he enjoyed the cold breeze for the moment it lasted before it disappeared, his eyes opening to look up at the moon again. There was a scent on the breeze, it smelled like lilac. The scent was strangely comforting, but Ichigo couldn't exactly place why.

It was getting close to three in the morning, but being outside always seemed to help calm him down. Tonight though, something felt different. Something felt off. He couldn't quite describe what, but it was a strange feeling, like someone was watching him.

Ichigo ignored it though, just staring up at the crystal clear moon. It was bright tonight, brighter than it had been in a while. His dad used to say that when a moon was that bright that life was going to get interesting very soon. So far, his old man hadn't exactly been wrong about that. Whenever the moon was bright, something in Ichigo's life did change, but tonight … the moon was the brightest he had ever seen it. It filled Ichigo with a bit of hope, that maybe life was going to get better. But with his luck, life was just going to get so much stranger.

Taking a deep breath, Ichigo turned his back on the night sky and wandered over to the rooftop entrance, opening the door and taking a step into the stairwell, sneaking one last glance at the bright moon above him. In his sleep deprived state, he almost swore that he could have seen a figure in the bright, white moon. But it was more than likely just his imagination. Shaking his head, Ichigo made his way down the stairs and back to his apartment to try, for the second time tonight, to get some sleep.

XXxxxXXXxxxXX

He was out again tonight, standing on the roof and staring up at the moon. He was there for a few hours, and she had only ever seen him stay out this long during full moons. Most nights weren't bad. He'd come up, push the door open and take a few deep breaths, run his fingers through his hair and then head back down. On full moons though … he stayed. He looked up at the sky and he would just spend hours staring. Rukia wondered why that was. She had been tempted to go over and ask, to comfort the man, but she had resisted. Something about it .. it just didn't feel like the right time.

Rukia could remember one night when she saw him come running out of the door, nearly knocking it off the hinges as he shoved it open, the sound of the door swinging open had been like a thunderclap in the mostly quiet night. She remembered seeing the sweat on his brow, and his heavy breathing. She remembered the panicked look in his eyes and the way his head rotated as if on a swivel, looking around for unseen threats. That night had been hard. But still, she felt that even in those moments, it wasn't the right time to introduce herself.

Turning her gaze from the roof across from her, Rukia looked up at the moon, her purple eyes wandering over the surface of the bright moon. She wondered what he saw in it, what exactly it was about nights like this that caused him the most distress. She stared at the moon for a long few moments before her body stiffened. She felt a presence behind her, someone coming close to her. It seems that her nightly rituals had been discovered.

"How many times are you going to return to this place, Rukia?" The voice was stoic, the tone stern. She knew it well. The voice of her brother.

Turning to face him, Rukia steeled herself for the judgement that was to come, her relaxed mood gone, replaced with the mannerisms that had been drilled into her since her birth. After all, it wouldn't do well to have Rukia Kuchiki be improper.

"I wasn't aware that my nightly habits were any of your concern, brother."

"You cannot be with him." The words cut through the air, and they stung her a bit, causing Rukia to recoil slightly. Her gaze drifted to the floor for a moment, her own voice quieting.

"That's not why I come."

"Then why?"

"He … intrigues me." It was as close to the truth as she could get. The absolute truth was she didn't quite know. She just felt drawn to this place, to him. Every night she would come, and he would be there. It was their own little ritual that he knew nothing about. But he did intrigue her. There was something about him, something that she couldn't put her finger on. Something that she felt pulled to.

"I see." There was a tone that Rukia hadn't really heard in her brother's voice then, something that sounded almost like sympathy. Like understanding. It caused her to look up, her eyes a bit wide. She had only heard that tone a few times in her life, but when she heard it, she knew that her brother had been in a reminiscent mood. "It doesn't change anything though," he said, a twinge of regret in his tone.

"I know, brother." Rukia said softly. They stood in silence for a long few moments before her brother stepped forward, resting a hand on her shoulder. Rukia looked up at the taller man, her eyes soft and her body stiff. That stoic expression remained on his face as he looked down at her, but the grip on her shoulder was almost comforting.

"Let's go home. I won't tell the others about your nightly visits, as long as you remember our laws."

"Thank you, brother." Rukia said, her eyes looking down at her feet. Her brother turned, walking off to the edge of the building they had been sharing before stopping and waiting for her to join him. Rukia cast a glance back at the apartment building across the way, wondering when, or if, she would ever meet the man with the orange hair, before looking back up at the moon one last time. It was so bright. So full of hope. Rukia had a feeling that she would meet him soon. And it would be almost world changing.

"I'm coming, brother." Rukia turned away, walking to her brother, but there was something in her step. A feeling of hope she hadn't felt before.


	2. First Meetings

A/N: So uh ... first chapter was up fast. I haven't written anything that quickly in a long time. But yeah ... here it is. The first two parts of what is going to be a long story. Thank you for all the reviews already, and the follows and everything. You guys are awesome. Stay tuned, because there is a lot more to come. I promise.

Disclaimer: Still don't own Bleach.

* * *

The alarm blared at Ichigo loudly, making him groan. It felt like he had finally just fallen asleep and yet the damn thing was just screeching at him like some sort of wild banshee. His hand shot out from underneath his blanket, flailing around and slapping at his nightstand hard until finally he found the alarm and slapped down on it hard enough to quiet it. A quiet grumble rumbled out of him, his eyes closed still, the call of sleep still singing to him. Maybe he could squeeze in thirty more minutes, it wouldn't kill anybody.

Rolling over onto his other side to glance at the clock to check if he could sleep a little longer, his eyes opened up, staring at the clock for a few moments, waiting for his vision to clear up. It was almost 7:30. At first, it didn't register in him how late it was and his eyes fell closed again, his body nuzzling into the warm bed. And then, in his foggy mind, it hit him. He was going to be late.

"Shit!" Ichigo's eyes opened wide, throwing the bed sheets off of him and springing up out of his bed, almost sprinting to his closet and grabbing his clothes. Somewhere between the bathroom and the bedroom, Ichigo had managed to throw on a pair of jeans, one shoe, and a t-shirt all while getting toothpaste on his toothbrush. In the back of his head, he thought that getting dressed in the morning after oversleeping should be an Olympic sport. He was already coming up with rules and ways for points to be deducted when he grabbed his other shoe and slid it on, grabbing his keys from the rack by the front door and running out of his apartment. He was almost to the elevator when he remembered that his phone was still in the bathroom and had to turn around.

It took a few minutes before he was finally on the street, and since it was later in the morning than he really needed it to be, traffic had already piled up, so getting a cab to work was out of the question.

"Shit!"

Looking around at the crowds on the sidewalk around him, Ichigo decided it'd be faster to run and took off at a dead sprint. Okay, so maybe getting dressed shouldn't be an Olympic sport, but getting dressed after over sleeping and then getting to work on time should be some sort of biathlon. Ichigo had to dodge people, shouting sorry at the few people who he almost barrelled over. More than a few times he had to jaywalk, running out into the middle of traffic and dodging cars as he went. More than a few horns were honked his way, and a few angry drivers leaning out the window to shout at him, but Ichigo didn't let it get to him.

Reaching into his pocket, he checked the time. 7:50. He had ten minutes to get to work or his boss would be pissed. Luckily, in the fifteen minutes he had been sprinting on the street, he had already made good distance. He was almost three blocks away, and he knew it was time to gun it.

Ichigo dodged and weaved through the crowds, spinning and pivoting on his feet to move around people who were too slow to move out of his way, shouting sorry back to the people who he had accidentally run into. Almost there, almost there. That's when he saw the sign in the distance, bright yellow with the words in all capitals, flashy to attract attention. "KARAKURA BICYCLE DELIVERY". He was so close. It was within reach. Would today be the day that he showed up on time for once?!

Bursting through the front door, Ichigo ran past the front counter, ignoring the greeting coming from whoever it was that was working the front that day, he had to get into the back room. No time for pleasantries. He'd say hi later.

Bursting in through the back door, he saw his boss standing in the middle of the employee changing room, tapping his fan on his arm with a shit-eating grin on his face. Ichigo bent over at the waist, his hands on his knees, breathing heavily. Lifting up his phone, he checked the time. 8:02.

"SHIT!" Ichigo shouted, standing up straight and throwing his hands up in the air, turning around in a slow circle before pointing at the man standing there staring at him, a desperate look in his eyes but a stern tone to his voice, 'You CANNOT fire me Urahara! I nearly killed myself getting here!"

"Yes, you did. But you didn't get here on time, did you?" Kisuke Urahara opened up his fan and covered the front of his face to hide the smirk he had, his eyes however glinting with playfulness. The two had known each other for years, Kisuke was a fan of Ichigo's dad, but the man was tough. He could be plenty relaxed and a really fun person, but that was when he wasn't working. Otherwise, he ran a very tight ship, and no one, not even friends, were let off the hook.

"I'm two minutes late! This is bullshit, you cannot hold this against me!"

"Ichigo…"

"No, you know what, fuck this. I have busted my ass for you for four years now, and you're constantly riding me! What did I do, huh? Why do you work me twice as hard as the rest of them?!" Ichigo was nearly shouting now. Kisuke just kept his face hidden behind his fan, staring at the young man in front of him with an amused expression.

"I mean for fucks sake, I know for a fact that Keigo and Mizuiro don't do shit, but you're never on them for it! I'm the hardest worker you've got, and you're always in here on my ass for even the slightest thing!"

"Ichigo."

"I'm fucking sick of it! Lay off me, okay!" Breathing heavily, Ichigo stared straight at the man in front of him for a few moments before he felt just how tired his body actually was from the sprint he had done to get here. He hadn't given himself a proper warm up before he just bolted out the door. Absently, he couldn't even remember if he had locked his apartment before leaving. Another thing to worry about later, right now though, he needed the bench in front of the lockers. Slowly, Ichigo sunk down onto the bench, his hands coming up to his face as he tried to catch his breath.

"Another night without sleeping?" The question hung in the air between the two for a few moments before Ichigo nodded, his hands dropping down from his face and the orange haired man sniffing loudly before turning to face his boss. Kisuke had lowered his fan, showing the frown on his face as he stepped towards the son of his friend, taking a seat beside him on the bench. "Was it the dreams again?"

"Yeah." Ichigo admitted after a bit of hesitation. He knew that he could trust Kisuke, he had been a family friend for a long time and knew almost everything there was to know about Ichigo. Without Kisuke, Ichigo wouldn't be able to have a job, no one would take an insomniac with anger issues into their employ. Without Kisuke, Ichigo would still be living at home, which was a thought that was worse than working for the slave driver.

"You know, I wasn't waiting in here to give you a hard time." Kisuke's tone had softened a bit, turning to look at the young man and resting a hand on his shoulder. "I was waiting in here for you to make sure that you got here okay. I know how hard full moon's are on you."

Ichigo turned to look at the older man, his eyes soft, showing Kisuke just how exhausted he actually was. The dark circles under his eyes made him almost look like a racoon, and his face was a bit sunken from lack of sleep and not eating properly. It was a miracle that he could even stand up right most days, but he did. Ichigo was stubborn, and he wasn't going to let anything topple him.

"I'm fine. I'm just tired."

"I can tell. Take a few minutes. I'll close up the break room, and you can get some rest." Ichigo shook his head at the offer, shrugging his shoulders a bit and pushing Kisuke's arm off of him. He couldn't rest, not now. He was afraid if he fell asleep now, he would sleep all day, and while Kisuke may be forgiving, he wasn't that forgiving.

"No, I've got a job to do."

"Then at least eat something. I've got some leftover food from Ururu this morning."

"Fine, if it will get you off my ass, I'll eat your food." Ichigo stood from the bench with a groan, turning to the lockers and finding his. Inside was the bright blue one piece uniform that Kisuke made every one of the delivery men wear. Ichigo changed quickly and grabbed his helmet and gloves before making his way into the break room to eat the leftovers, enjoying every bite. Ururu's cooking reminded him of Yuzu, the thought of his younger sister making Ichigo just a little more homesick. He decided to make a trip back this weekend if he could, and if he couldn't, then at least he would call.

Waving to Mizuiro and Keigo, Ichigo grabbed his delivery bike and the packages he was supposed to take out, along with his pick up route, and wheeled himself out of the back of the building. As he peddled down the side of the street, he couldn't help but feel that something about today was off.

XXxxxXXXxxxXX

Rukia wandered down the sidewalk, cup of coffee in hand as she walked through the crowds. She had managed to sneak away from the house during the day, something that happened only every once in awhile. Wearing a sundress with a light coat to keep the fall breeze from making her too cold, Rukia pushed her sunglasses further up onto her face and sipped her coffee. It was a beautiful, clear day outside, and everyone seemed to be rushing somewhere. Whether it was to the store at the corner, the coffee shop across the street or even just into the various office buildings all around, everyone was in such a hurry. Everyone but her.

She looked around, watching them in motion, her violet eyes. Scanning the people with curiosity, her mind coming up with stories for them all, inventing tales of what they were rushing around so much for. Like the guy with the suitcase who just ducked into the skyscraper beside her. He had a serious look on his face and a sense of purpose about his steps. In her mind, Rukia thought that the man was late for a business meeting. That perhaps his wife or partner had spent a bit too long on breakfast and that's why he was in such a hurry. He didn't even bother to greet the security guard who was obviously familiar with him before hurrying off to the elevator. Rukia named the man Todd. She didn't quite know why that name, but it seemed to fit.

Or the woman who just came running out of the coffee shop carrying far too many cups of coffee in way too many containers. Obviously the first choice would be that she's a secretary picking up coffee for the office, but she was dressed far too professionally for that. Pencil skirt, blazer and a button up top with heels. Maybe she wasn't the secretary. Maybe she was actually in a middle-management position and she had lost a bet, so she had to pick up the coffee for the office. If she wasn't careful though, she was going to spill it all from chatting on her phone. Rukia thought that maybe the girl was yelling at her boss, or probably the sitter for her kids.

And then there was the guy on the bicycle that was coming straight at her. The look on his face was on of steel determination. Even as people jumped out of the way, he just kept going straight ahead. Maybe he was on his way somewhere. Maybe he had something really important to do. She just kept walking, even as he was coming straight for her, writing a story for him in her head.

" _He's oblivious to the world around him, not paying attention to anything. He just keeps going, because there's somewhere he has to be. Someone he has to meet. Wait .. he's coming right at me. OH GOD HE'S COMING RIGHT AT ME!"_

It was the last thought she had before he swerved to avoid hitting her, and she curled herself around her coffee cup to keep it from spilling. Neither of them succeeded as he ran straight into her and was thrown to the ground from the bike, and she got run over, falling onto her back on the hard pavement, the air escaping her lungs in a loud, wheezing gasp. Her sunglasses went flying from her face and towards the bike where the man was groaning, rolling onto his back and breathing heavily, his arms and legs stretched out wide. People had begun to gather around the two, murmuring to themselves. A few people asked Rukia and the man if they were okay, but neither were responding, too dazed to really focus on the questions being lobbed their way.

Finally, Rukia rolled onto her side and pushed herself, up to her feet with a loud groan. Her coffee had been spilled all over her white sundress, staining it a deep brown. She was glad that at least it hadn't burnt her. Or maybe it had and she just didn't feel it on account of the rage that was building inside of her. The man was just laying on his back, his eyes closed and one of his legs curled up to his chest.

"What the HELL is your problem?! People are WALKING here!" Rukia shouted at him, storming forward. He didn't respond, just laying there for a moment before lifting his head to look at the small girl that was shouting at him. Something about him seemed familiar to Rukia, something about the eyes and the face, but she couldn't place it. Not in the midst of her rage fit. But when she saw him narrowing his eyes at her and slowly push himself up to a sitting position, she knew that she wasn't going to calm down any time soon.

"MY problem?! What about you! You looked RIGHT at me and you didn't even move!"

"Oh I'm sorry, but did I miss the part where the sidewalk belongs to assholes on bikes who can't ride in the street where the BIKE LANE is?!"

"I shouted at you to move! The whole fucking CROWD moved out of the way! Maybe if you weren't so Goddamn short you'd have noticed me coming your way!" Rukia could feel a vein pop in her forehead at the mention of her height. Her voice went icy cold.

"What did you say?"

"I said you're a Goddamn midget!"

"Well at least I have some common fucking courtesy, you oaf!" She shouted at him, taking another step forward. By now, he was standing on his feet, glaring down at her with a scowl. This close to him, those eyes really did look familiar, but she wasn't backing down. She was far too riled up now to give in.

"Well unlike you, SOME of us have jobs to do. We can't just walk around all day sipping coffee and drifting away to la-la land. And because of YOU, I'm three minutes late to a delivery!"

"Oh well I'm sorry. What is your job anyway? Being a belligerent prick to random people on the street?!"

"Look, I don't have time for this shit. I have to get to work." He turned, picking up his bike and a few of his packages, putting them onto a slot to hold them on the side of his bike. Rukia wasn't about to let it go though.

"Where the fuck do you think you're going?!"

"I've got a job to do, you midget!" He shouted back, putting his foot the pedal to get away, but Rukia wasn't going to let him get off that easy.

"Don't fucking call me a midget you asshole! I'll find out where you work!"

"Karakura Bike Deliveries! You can't miss it" He shouted back to her before taking off, pedaling even faster now. She stared at his back in a fuming rage until he was out of sight. Turning to look at the crowd, who were all staring at the short girl, she growled and leaned down to grab her sun glasses, putting them back onto her face.

"What are you looking at?! This ain't a circus!" She shouted at the people, and they all got back to moving around, confident that whatever crisis there was had been averted and that everyone was okay. Best not to argue with the short girl who was obviously still enraged.

Turning to the street, Rukia stepped out and hailed a cab. She got in the back seat and when the driver asked her where she wanted to go, she told him with a clear voice.

"Karakura Bike Deliveries."

XXxxxXXXxxxXX

Ichigo was just starting to get over the conflict with the short girl from earlier and making his way through his third stop when his phone buzzed on the holder between his handlebars. Pulling over to the side of the street, he planted his foot down and swiped the screen to see a message from Kisuke, saying to call him. Ichigo groaned and pulled the phone from it's holder, dialing his boss and waiting for him to answer.

"Ichigo! Lovely to hear from you!"

"You told me to call. What's the emergency?"

"I'm afraid I'm going to need you to come back in, we've got someone here who wants to file a complaint against you." And just like that, the mood he was in was gone and the anger from earlier had started to seep back into him.

"Short girl. Angry. Shouts a lot if you call her small?"

"Yeah, that's the one. I take it you know her?"

"I ran into this morning on my route."

"That's what she said." Ichigo groaned and leaned his head back. He was making good time today too!

"Alright, I'll be back as soon as I can."

"I'll hold her here." Kisuke hung up and Ichigo placed his phone back into the holder on his bike before turning around and making his way back to the main building. The whole time he was riding, Ichigo had time to stew in whatever rage was building in him for when he showed up at the office. He didn't want to get into another shouting match with the girl in front of his boss, but at the same time .. something about her, it just brought out something in him. Normally he wouldn't have gone off like he did. Sure he could be snappy and yell at people from time to time, but never like he did.

Finally, Ichigo reached the building and parked in the back, making his way through the warehouse to find the bosses office. He gave a short wave to Mizuiro and Keigo before stopping just outside of Kisuke's office and taking a moment to compose himself. Taking a deep breath, Ichigo took off his helmet and stepped into Kisuke's office, closing the door behind him.

"You wanted to see me boss?" Ichigo tried to keep his voice even, but the moment he stepped into the room, his senses were assailed with the same lilac scent from the night before, it filled the room and reminded Ichigo of the rooftop and the full moon, his eyes going wide. Any mood he was in before died quickly, the scent so familiar.

"Ah yes, Ichigo. I believe you've already met Ms. Kuchiki." Kisuke made a motion to the chair in front of him and the black haired girl sitting there, a smile on his face. Slowly, she turned around, and he could see the fire in her violet eyes. That anger from this morning still there, but only for a moment. As soon as her eyes fell on him, that fire was gone and her mouth dropped open.

Rukia couldn't believe it. In front of her was the man she watched each night. The man of her nightly ritual. The man she had argued with in the street. Of all the ways she had pictured their first meeting going, it was never like how it actually happened. A screaming match in the middle of a crowded sidewalk? Not exactly the best place to meet the person of your intrigue.

The two of them stared at each other for a long few moments before slowly, Rukia stood from her seat and turned to face him. Walking towards Ichigo, she reached out her hand, a soft smile on her face, whatever anger had been there before faded.

"Hello, I'm Rukia Kuchiki. I believe we got off on the wrong foot." Ichigo stared at her for a long moment like she was an alien creature, and then he saw the hand that was offered out to him. Slowly, he reached out and took it, shaking her hand softly.

"Ichigo Kurosaki. It's nice to meet you."


	3. Messy Secrets

A/N: Been a couple of days, but expect another chapter after this one. I'm not done yet. This was a bit shorter than the last, and it feels like it's moving along quickly, but I promise that this won't end soon. There's a lot more to go.

Disclaimer: Second verse, same as the first. Now put me on a plane, so I can put 'em in a hearse.

* * *

A clap echoed in the room, the sound startling the Ichigo and Rukia out of their first meeting. The two turned to face the source of the disturbance, finding Kisuke standing there behind his desk with a large smile on his face and his hands together.

"Well it seems like whatever problem here has been resolved. Is that right, Ms. Kuchiki?"

Rukia looked down at the hand she held. His hand. The hand of the man who had been her nightly fascination for the past few months, and then wandered her gaze up to her face. He was staring down at her like he had seen a ghost, his eyes were wide and she could see the tension in his jaw as he tried to keep his mouth from falling open. Could he have known that she was watching him? Could he truly have an idea of just who she was, or worse yet, what she was? Slowly, he pulled his hand away and cleared his throat, turning his head to look off to the side and away from her, and Rukia found herself taking a step back.

"Not … exactly." Rukia said softly, making Ichigo turn his gaze down to her. The expression on his face shifted now, almost completely changing. His eyes narrowed and a scowl came to his lips as he glared down at her. In response, Rukia just grinned up at him before turning back to Kisuke, her eyes dancing with playfulness as she turned to show Ichigo's employer her ruined dress. "You see, your giant oaf here still owes me for the dress he ruined." She put an emphasis on the word 'giant' just like he shouted 'midget' at her earlier.

"Oh I can't believe this shit." Ichigo growled down at her, his eyes narrowing even more. "Look, we went over this before. If you had MOVED out of the way when I shouted, it could have been avoided."

"And this is a fifty dollar dress, that if YOU had been in the bike lane where you belonged, wouldn't be covered in coffee right now."

"Oh right, and if I had been in the bike lane, I would have been run over by a car."

"So better you run over someone else than someone run over you?"

"Exactly!" Ichigo crossed his arms at his chest and tilted his head back a bit. Rukia grinned and stepped forward, poking him hard in the stomach. She felt just how firm his abs were against her finger, it was like poking brick, and the thought made her blush a little.

"Doesn't change the fact that YOU ruined my dress, oaf!" Rukia growled up at him, the tint still on her cheeks. Ichigo leaned down a bit to be eye level with her, grinning wide.

"Sorry, but it's hard to see midgets through the crowd." Rukia growled loudly and was starting to pull her hand back to hit Ichigo when another clap rang out through the room. The two kept glaring at each other, scowling deeply, even as Kisuke spoke.

"Okay you two, that's enough. Ichigo, I won't have you fighting such a pretty lady in my office." Rukia and Ichigo continued to stare each other down before each took a step back from the other, with Rukia lowering her hand to her side. "Now, Ms. Kuchiki. You have a complaint that my employee, Ichigo Kurosaki, wasn't paying attention on his route and as such, ruined your dress." Rukia turned back to face Kisuke, the glare still on her face but the blush had gone away. Slowly, she nodded to answer the statement.

"Well, I can't really say he didn't do what you claim." Kisuke waved a hand at the short woman, indicating her brown stained dress. "I mean, it's right there, plain as day. So, what do you suggest I do as a solution?" Rukia frowned a bit in thought and brought her hand up to her chin. She stood there in silence for a long moment while Ichigo grumbled a few things under his breath, his arms still crossed at his chest.

Rukia was wondering just what could be done about her dress. Honestly, in the long run, it wasn't that big of a deal. It was just one of her hundreds of dresses. It wasn't like this one dress was going to be missed, but she was faced with a wonderful option here. Right in front of her, laid out on the table, was a golden choice. And Rukia was going to be damned if she didn't take it. Grinning wide, Rukia looked up at Ichigo and spoke clearly, her voice cutting through the air. What she said, Ichigo had never thought he would hear in his life.

"I want him to take me dress shopping for a replacement." Ichigo snapped his head around to look at her so quickly he was surprised he didn't get whiplash. What he said in response was equally as loud, and something he said on a daily basis.

"You can't be fucking serious?!"

"Oh I am perfectly serious." Rukia said with a mischievous grin. Now it was her turn to cross her arms at her chest. "I want you to take me shopping for a replacement. Wherever I choose to go, AND you have to pay for it."

"No way. No fucking way. I'm not doing this."

"I'm afraid you have to," Kisuke said, a knowing grin on his face. "See, it's either that or I have to write you up. And honestly, for running over this young lady, you could have seriously injured her and put her in the hospital. That is worthy of a firing." Kisuke shrugged a bit and lifted up his fan to his face, opening it and hiding his smirk. "You have to do it Ichigo."

Ichigo looked between the two of them, his eyes wide in shock and his mouth hung open. He looked like a deer in headlights, and it took everything in Rukia to keep from laughing at him. She had to admit, he looked cute like that. She just stood there, smirking before finally, Ichigo sighed and looked down at the shorter woman. His voice was a growl when he spoke, and his hand lifted to point at her.

"Fine. When and where?"

"When do you get off?"

"He gets off at four-thirty." Kisuke chimed in from behind his fan, causing Ichigo to lean to the side a bit and shoot a glare at his employer, his teeth gritting as he spoke.

"Not. Helping."

"Fine, then you can meet me at five o'clock. Downtown. We'll start at the square." Rukia grinned and reached into the front of her jacket to pull out her sunglasses, slowly slipping them onto her face to hide the amusement dancing in her eyes. "And don't expect me to pick anything fast. I like to take my time when I shop." Rukia walked past him and out of the office, closing the door behind her as she left.

Ichigo just stood there dumbstruck, staring at the spot she had just left. He inhaled deeply through his nose, and the scent of lilacs flowed into his nostrils. It was soothing, but it was attached to the midget, and the two did not exactly work out to his benefit. She aggravated him, almost to the point of being infuriating. And yet even those emotions made him feel … something. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. There was a tightness in his chest, and an emptiness in his stomach. It felt like his heart was about to drop into his stomach, and at the same time, his stomach was going to leap into his throat. He felt strange. But he liked it.

"Well, I guess you had better get back to your route." Kisuke said, flicking his wrist and waving his fan into his face, his hat tilting up a bit and his hair waving from the air. "After all, you have some things to get done before your date tonight."

"It is not a fucking date." Ichigo growled out as he turned and stalked out of the office, slamming the door behind him and walking back to his bike. In the back of his mind, he knew he could deny it all he wanted, but what was going to happen tonight was indeed a date. And he hadn't been on one in years. But for some reason, he was looking forward to tonight.

XXxxxXXXxxxXX

Kisuke waited for Ichigo to leave the building before standing from his desk and turning around. His office was rather bare. A few paintings here and there from Ururu and Jinta, a few pieces of furniture that had been put in by his friend Tessai. But the real fixture was behind his desk, a bookshelf that lined the back wall, filled with manuals and binders. At first glance, anyone who looked at it would just assume it was his business ledger and contacts. And they would be partly correct, but Kisuke had worked hard on this specific book case for one reason, and one reason alone. It led to his workshop.

Running his hands along the spines of his binders, Kisuke finds the one he was looking for and slowly pulls it back until he hears a gear whir to life somewhere in the wall. Slowly, the bookshelf parts in front of him, sliding open in two directions to reveal a hidden staircase that winds down. Checking behind him to make sure no one was coming to his office, Kisuke steps into the dark passage and flips a switch, the gear whirring again and the bookshelf closing behind him. Lights came on overhead slowly, illuminating the place where Kisuke liked to do his true work.

The best part of having a bike delivery service is all the wonderful things you can make out of the spare parts of the broken things. Gears, chains, the rubber from tires, the frames could be melted down, the handles removed. Even the seats could be modified if you knew what you were doing, and Kisuke had been doing this since he was a teenager. But right now, he wasn't here to make. Right now, he needed to make a call that wouldn't be traced to his business phone.

Walking through the rows of tools, Kisuke made his way to the back where a small cot had been laid out and grabbed a single, black telephone. Punching in some of the numbers on the dial, Kisuke listened to the ring for a few moments before finally, a voice on the other end picked up. Smooth and calm, the voice spoke to him.

"What do you have for me?"

"They're here." Kisuke said, raising his fan to his face. "One of them came into my shop."

"Are you sure?"

"She has the eyes. Violet and icy cold, just like his." Kisuke fanned himself for a moment, looking around his workshop. What would be used this time, he wondered?

"Thank you. We'll be there shortly."

"You know where to find me." Kisuke hung up the phone without another word and took a deep breath. He hated the man on the other end of the phone. Every time he did 'business' with the man, he felt slimy. But, there was no one else to call. Indeed, the man was the best at what he did.

Taking another breath, Kisuke wandered up the stairs and opened up the bookshelf door again before stepping into his office. Things were about to get very, very messy.


	4. Dresses and Set Ups

Rukia came in through the front door as quietly as she could, almost tip toeing through her home so she didn't attract any attention. Her brother, as overprotective as he was, told her to not go out alone during the day. Ever. But the last time Rukia had listened to that advice had been when she was very young. As she got older, she learned to be more careful, more restrained. It didn't stop Byakuya from hovering over her though and chastising her any time that she went out on her own. But today, Rukia didn't care. She was only moving quietly to try and save time, she had to meet Ichigo soon, and one of her brother's speeches usually lasted … well, longer than she had.

So, Rukia tried to creep her way through her own home and up the stairs to her room, only to hit a loose floorboard, the creaking sound echoing through the house like an elephant trying to be stealthy. And just like that, Rukia gave up on all hope of avoiding her brother.

"Rukia, where have you been?"

 _Speak of the devil._

"I went out." Rukia slowly turned from her spot on the stairs, doing her best to become stoic and impassive, just like her brother had told her to be at all times. It would do no good to show emotion in front of him. Byakuya had become so cold ever since Hisana passed that now, Rukia wasn't even sure if the man even felt anything anymore.

"Alone?"

"Yes."

"You know better than to go out alone." Rukia could have sworn that she had seen her brother's eyes narrow, and his face try to contort into a frown. But it could have just been a trick of the light. "It's not safe."

"I made sure to keep out of sight, brother." Rukia said evenly, her hand curling around the railing ever so slightly. She was really hoping to skip the speech right now. She needed to get changed. But when Byakuya lifted his eyebrow at her, she knew that she wasn't getting off the hook that easily.

"You kept out of sight, and yet your dress is ruined?" Byakuya took a step forward, coming closer to the stairs. "What happened?"

"It was nothing, brother. I tripped leaving the coffee shop." Rukia really hoped her voice was even enough to deceive him. It wouldn't do to have him find out that she got into a shouting match in the middle of a very crowded sidewalk. Then they'd have to leave. Again. And she liked Karakura.

"You tripped?"

"Yes brother, I tripped." There was silence between them for a few long moments before Byakuya nodded and took a step back, a sign that he was going to stop pestering her.

"Very well, I'll let you return to your business. Your drink is in your room waiting for you."

"Thank you, brother." With that, Rukia slowly turned and walked up the stairs to her room. She had to get changed, she had a date tonight. The thought sent a shiver down her spine. She had a date. An actual date. How long had it been?

 _Too long._

Rukia closed the door to her room to see a glass on her nightstand by her bed. Frowning a bit, Rukia walked over to it and lifted the glass from it's coaster. She hated this. She hated her 'drink', but she had to do it. She needed to live. And to make sure that she could ever go out in public. Immediately her thoughts turned to Ichigo and what would happen if she didn't drink this right now. Her grip on the glass tightened and she lifted it to her lips, downing the liquid in a few gulps before wiping her lips on the back of her jacket sleeve.

 _Now, time to dress for my date._

XXxxxXXXxxxXX

Byakuya Kuchiki sat in a chair in his study, looking through a book he had read perhaps a thousand times, his long fingers slowly turning a page when he heard a knock on the door. Lifting his head, he turned towards the source of the sound and allowed himself a soft frown.

"Come."

The door opened and in stepped a young man with red hair done up in a spiked ponytail. Tattoos covered his face, and a bandana around his forehead. The man was shirtless, showing off the rest of his tattoos along his chest. But Byakuya did not care for the markings. He just needed the man to do something for him.

"You asked for me?"

"Rukia has been sneaking out again," Byakuya said softly, setting his book down on his lap. His eyes narrowed a bit into a glare, his tone turning even more icy than it usually was. "I believe she intends to do so again tonight."

"Sometimes we need to get out." The redhaired man said with a shrug. "You keep us cooped up here all the time and refuse to let us leave. Sometimes, we just need to go."

"I understand this." Byakuya said evenly. Oh he knew that the people in his home snuck out from time to time, in fact, he let them get away with it most of the time. Rukia was a special case though. He had to keep an eye on her. He had to watch her. Or his life was on the line. "But when one of you lies to me about what happened when you were out, that is when things get complicated."

"You think Rukia lied to you?"

"I do. And I want you to follow her tonight. I want you to tell me where she goes, and what she does." Slowly, Byakuya stood and walked over to the young man in front of him, staring down at him. "Understood?"

"Yeah, I can do that for you." Sighing, the red haired man turned and walked out of the room, waving over his shoulder. "But if she catches me, don't be surprised if my head winds up on your desk."

The door closed behind the young man as he left, and Byakuya turned around and walked back to his seat, sinking down into the chair and opening up his book again to return to his reading. Would he be surprised to find a head on his desk for spying on her? No. Byakuya knew his younger sister very well. In fact, he was counting on her losing her temper.

XXxxxXXXxxxXX

Ichigo pulled his phone from his pocket and looked at the time again, just to make sure he wasn't too early. After his shift had ended, Ichigo rushed back to his apartment to get changed into a bit more appropriate clothing for his 'date' tonight. Now he was wearing a black jacket with a white t-shirt underneath, and a pair of blue jeans that were a bit loose around the waist. His orange hair was messy and spiked up, but there wasn't much he could have done about it. Ever since he was a kid, his hair's default state was messy. It used to cause his mom a lot of headaches.

 _Bad route Ichigo. Don't go there._

Ichigo grit his teeth a bit and shook his head to clear his thoughts, looking down at his phone once again to check the time. It was almost five. She should be here any minute. He looked around again to make sure he was where he was supposed to be. She said in the square, and he was perfectly in the center of it by the fountain. Ichigo turned to look at the carving of an angel, it's arms stretched up to the sky and it's wings spread, water pouring out of the base where it's feet were. Absently, he wondered why every town had a fountain in a major location.

A voice shook him from his thoughts, shouting at him from behind. It was a voice he had heard a few times today, and it caused every muscle in his body to tense up. The voice of the Midget Lady from Hell, as he had dubbed her. It was probably a bit cruel to think of her that way, but honestly, he would rather be home right now, resting.

 _Stupid short woman. Making me go outside and live my life._

It didn't really occur to him until after he had the thought just how stupid it was to have. Why would he be angry at someone making him live his life? Was being at home, stretched out on the couch, reading a book with the TV on in the background any better than this?

 _Depends on how the night goes._

Turning around to face the voice, Ichigo's scowl slowly disappeared when he saw her, his eyes raking over her body slowly to take in her appearance. She was wearing a deep blue sleeveless blouse and a black skirt. Even Ichigo had to admit, she looked damn good for a midget. She walked up to him, her knee high black boots slapping against the pavement loudly with each step. Okay, she didn't just look damn good, she looked amazing. But he'd never tell her that.

"Good to see you're punctual." Rukia said, a smirk on her face as she ran her eyes over him, taking in his clothes. "And you look acceptable too."

"Yeah well, I wasn't going to dress up for a punishment."

"Oh where's your sense of adventure?" Rukia smirked even wider and stepped past him, turning on the ball of her foot to look at him. "It's only a punishment if you don't let yourself have fun."

"What kind of line of thinking is that?!" Ichigo shouted at her as she walked off through the crowd to the nearest store. Ichigo cursed under his breath and took off after her, finally catching up to her side and putting his hands in his pockets, settling into an easy pace beside her.

"So, bike delivery." Rukia said after a few moments, looking up at the tall man by her side. Ichigo glanced down at her for a moment before returning his gaze straight ahead. "What made you get into it?"

"Well, Kisuke is a family friend." Ichigo raised a hand out of his jacket pocket and rubbed the back of his neck slowly, looking down at Rukia. "Him and my dad grew up together. So when I told my old man I needed to get out, he called up Kisuke and next thing I knew, I had an apartment in the city and a good paying job."

"Must be nice to have a job where you can go wherever you want."

"It's not bad. Since working there I've found out about places in the city I never knew were there before."

"How long have you lived here?" Rukia asked, turning to walk into the first store of the night. The inside was a bit dark and heavy music pumped from the speakers. A few of the people working at the store looked up to see the two people enter and gave a greeting, to which Rukia waved back with a smile and made her way over to the collection of dresses. All of them were pretty much the same, black with little images placed along the favorite. A few were had a skull and crossbones on them, some had animal faces from bunnies to dogs, and Rukia spent her time looking through each one.

"Well, I've only lived in the city proper from about two years." Ichigo answered while he watched her look through the dresses, leaning against a rack. "But I've lived in the area all my life. How about you?"

"Me?" Rukia looked up at Ichigo and shrugged before returning her attention to a dress with some bunnies plastered all over the fabric, her fingers running along the waistline. "Well, my family and I just got into town a months ago. We move around a lot."

"Your family?"

"Yeah. It's just me, my brother and a couple of others. But we travel all over the place." Rukia looked up at Ichigo and for the first time, she let down her guard. It was just a moment, but he knew the smile well enough to know what it was. He had worn it more than a few times himself. Her eyes were closed and she smiled up at him, but it wasn't a smile of happiness. It was one of sadness. "I like it though, it's nice to say I've been almost everywhere in the world."

"I can imagine." Ichigo looked down at her for a long time, before she turned away and pulled the dress she was looking at off the rack, turning around to make her way to the counter. Ichigo grinned and walked along behind her, reaching into his pocket to pull out his wallet. "I thought you said you like to take your time shopping."

"Oh this isn't the one you're buying for me." And just like that, all of those little guards were back up and Rukia grinned up at Ichigo with a sort of sadistic glee. "I just like this one a lot. We are far, far from done."

XXxxxXXXxxxXX

Fourteen stores. She had been in fourteen stores, and from all the bags that Ichigo had in his hands, you would have thought that she had bought up every single one of them. The first store had been a breeze, one dress and she was out. One bag. Easy as that. The next six? Not so easy. She lingered. On every dress. More than a few times she had to try one or two on and model them for him, asking how they looked. She had to check the mirrors before she shook her head and wandered back into the dressing room. Nothing she picked was good enough to replace the one he ruined. Oh that didn't mean she didn't buy them, no, it just meant that they weren't good enough for HIM to buy for her.

By the time they reached the tenth store, Ichigo was beginning to think this was a plot by Kisuke to set him up with a girl. It was Kisuke after all, the man wasn't ashamed to go to any lengths to get what he wanted, and it wasn't like it was beyond him to put a short girl in the middle of the sidewalk on his route one day for Ichigo to run over. And then have said girl con Ichigo into a date using a complaint as a reason. By the twelfth store, Ichigo had the whole thing worked out in his head how Kisuke had set this up, and in the last two, he was working out a way to beat his boss to death and make it look like an accident.

She didn't find a single dress she wanted him to replace for her in any of the stores. And at the end of the fourteenth store, she had bought everything herself, and Ichigo was beginning to feel bad. He had pleaded with her to let him buy this round of dresses, practically begged to get out of this. But she just sighed and looked up at him all dramatic, trying to hold a smirk off of her face. Her words cut him. Deep.

"No, none of these are good enough. Guess that means you need to take me on a second date."

Ichigo groaned for what felt like the thousandth time that day, his head tossed back and his eyes closed as he walked beside an overly happy Rukia, the short girl skipping with each step and humming to herself.

It's not that the date had been bad, by any means. Even if she had bought all the clothes herself and he was hoping that he could just buy her one dress, he had fun. And he didn't even have to trick himself into believing that either. Rukia was easy to talk to, and her laugh was infectious. They shared a very similar sense of humor, and Ichigo felt like he could talk to her about anything. It was just so easy to slip into conversation with her. They had started at five, and now, when he looked down at his phone, it was almost ten o'clock and all the stores were closing up. The street lights were coming on and the party crowds were starting to come out to head to the newest club down the street.

It had been fun. And it had been a long time since Ichigo Kurosaki had fun on a date. Rukia looked up at him with a smile before turning her attention down to a restaurant at the square that was overlooking the fountain before looking back up at her date.

"Are you hungry."

"Are you going to pay for my meal?" Ichigo shot back without thinking before looking down at her. She had a sly grin on her face at the comment and Ichigo almost regretted saying what he had.

"I don't know, I might let you pay for it. After all, the deal was you need to buy me a dress. Not dinner." Ichigo groaned again and let his head fall back once more while Rukia laughed. He had to admit, the sound of her laughter was wonderful. It brought a smile to his lips and he no longer felt frustrated. How the hell did she do that to him?

"Yeah, I'm hungry." Ichigo said after a moment, turning to look down at Rukia, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips. "At least it'll give me a chance to pay for _something_ tonight."

"Well then let's go eat." Rukia reached up and wrapped her arms around one of Ichigo's, dragging him off towards the restaurant. He didn't really complain, he just followed her lead, trying to keep a hold of all the bags from the stores they had visited through the night.

Once they got in through the doors, Ichigo looked up at the hostess and asked to be sat at a table for two. The woman gave them both a knowing smirk before leading them off to the back for a private booth. Ichigo didn't really realize where they were going until the menus had been put down and it was already too late. He looked around and saw that the two of them had been sat in the 'romantic' section. The lighting was dimmed, and all the people that were dining there were couples.

"It's nice in here." Rukia said, unfolding a napkin and placing it on her lap. Ichigo nodded, looking around them at all the people. That's when he saw her, and just like that, Ichigo knew he was being set up. She was sitting across the table from her date, a playful grin on her face while her date was pushing her food around on her plate. The dark skinned woman was leaning on one hand, a catty grin on her face, her hips shifting from side to side every so often. Her date jumped suddenly and looked across the table with wide eyes before looking around to see if anyone had noticed.

"I'll be right back." Ichigo said as he got up and wandered over to the table Yoruichi was sitting at. It looked like Soi Fon could use the break from the teasing anyway. Rukia just nodded and watched as he got up to walk away before slipping away herself, and wandering into the bathroom.

"So, Soi Fon, how's the meal?" Ichigo heard Yoruichi ask as he got closer, rolling his eyes and grabbing an empty seat from a nearby table, sliding it up to his friend's table.

"Stop teasing the poor girl, Yoruichi. You know she can't take it." Ichigo said with a smirk, nodding to Soi Fon who shot a glare at him before looking away. She may be shy when it came to Yoruichi, but when it came to everyone else, Soi Fon hated everyone equally.

"Aw, she can take it." Yoruichi smirked and turned to face Ichigo, reaching out to ruffle his hair like she did when he was a kid. "And don't you know it's rude to interrupt people on a date?"

"Well I saw you and I just had to come over and say hello." Ichigo smirked back, leaning back in his seat. "Well, and I had to ask you a question."

"Oh a question? Well what is so important it couldn't have waited for a phone call?"

"Kisuke." Ichigo only had to say the name to get Yoruichi's attention peaked. Her eyes lit up and the grin on her face got even wider. Soi Fon made a noticeable sound of disgust before looking down at her food, though she didn't say anything.

"And what has my good friend done this time?"

"Well, he set me up. Or, I think he did." Ichigo looked back to his table, frowning when he noticed Rukia was gone, but turned his attention back to Yoruichi. "I'm here on a date myself. But it's 'company sponsored'." Ichigo raised up his hands and made quotations marks in the air for the last two words. Yoruichi couldn't help but laugh at that.

"Oh yeah? And how does that work?"

"Ran over a girl on the sidewalk with my bike. She showed up to complain, demanded I take her out to buy a new dress for her, and then we wound up here." Ichigo leaned his head forward towards the dark skinned woman. "Same place you take your dates."

Yoruichi laughed and slapped the table a bit before shaking her head. "And why is this the first I'm hearing about it?!"

"So you have no idea what's going on?"

"Nope. Not a clue." The dark skinned woman grinned wide and leaned forward a bit towards Ichigo. "Trust me, if Kisuke was setting you up, I'd tell you. But this … either he's decided to keep secrets from me, or it's genuine. Ask yourself which is the most likely."

Ichigo paused for a moment in thought, leaning back in his seat and reaching up to rub the back of his neck. Yoruichi made a point. Kisuke did nothing without telling his best friend. So it really wasn't a set up. Rukia was genuinely enjoying his company and really wanted to go out with him again. Ichigo felt a little bit of hope well up in him before he slapped it back down. Something was still off about this, and he was going to find out what.

"Looks like your date's coming back." Yoruichi nodded to where he had come from and Ichigo turned to look. Rukia was coming back from the bathroom, brushing her skirt off and sliding down into her seat. He could hear the whistle coming from behind him. "She's pretty. You ran over the right girl there, Strawberry."

"Don't call me that." Ichigo said as he stood up from his seat. "Thanks Yoruichi." Turning, Ichigo slid his stolen seat back into the table he had taken it from and made his way to his date. As he slid back into the chair, he looked up at Rukia who was staring at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Who was that?"

"Just a friend. I had to ask her something." Ichigo glanced over to Yoruichi and Soi Fon again, who were right back where they had left off.

"Did you get your answer?" Rukia asked, tilting her head to the side a bit. Ichigo turned to look at her, his eyes meeting hers, and for the first time he had really noticed how beautiful they were. Violet, and with a bit of fire in them. Ichigo found himself getting lost in that gaze for a long moment before he shook himself out of him.

"Oh, uh, yeah. I did," he said as he slipped his napkin off of the table and onto his lap. Looking up at her, he raised an eyebrow in question. "And where did you disappear to?"

"Hmm? Oh, I just went to the bathroom." Rukia smiled over to him and pulled over a menu, opening it up to look through it slowly. "Now, what shall we eat?"

XXxxxXXXxxxXX

When Ichigo slipped away, Rukia saw her chance to confront their little stalker. She had noticed him following the pair since leaving their second store. He wasn't exactly hard to miss with that hair. Ichigo probably didn't see anything, he didn't know what to look for like she did. Making her way towards the bathroom, Rukia wandered found a side exit to the building and opened it, hoping to not trigger any alarms. When nothing went off, she slid out into the alley and went to find her target.

It wasn't hard to spot, not with him lurking against the side of a building across from where she was supposed to be having a peaceful dinner. She had to be quick, and quiet.

Taking some of the back alleys, running at a quick pace, Rukia managed to sneak up behind the redhead. He didn't notice until she had tapped him on the shoulder, and by the time he turned around, Rukia had him pushed against the wall, one arm across his chest and the other pinning one of his arms to the wall. He just grinned down at her with a smirk.

"If I had known you were into pinning me down, I'd be a lot more willing about things in the future."

"What the fuck are you doing here Renji?" Rukia growled out, glaring up at the man. He acted like he wasn't scared, but they both knew that he could act all he wanted, she terrified the man. It was best to be honest with her when she had that look on her face.

"I was told to follow you and report back your whereabouts to your brother." He shrugged a bit and tried to look as nonchalant as possible. "He got all kinds of concerned about you when you lied to him today. Not smart there, Rukia."

"Shut up." She shoved up against the wall a bit harder, making him wince. "How long have you been watching?"

"Since you left the house." Renji looked back at the restaurant with a frown before turning his gaze back down to the short woman pinning him to the wall. "So what, you're going to date HIM but not-"

"If you finish that sentence I will rip your teeth out one by fucking one." Rukia's voice got cold. Her family was known for that tone of voice, that icy cold speech, and Renji wondered if Byakuya knew that his sister could be far more terrifying than even he could be. "I refuse to live under my brother's laws. He knows this. YOU know this. I'll live my life how I want. If neither of you like it, then deal with it."

"Rukia, you know why he's doing it."

"That does not mean I'll ever be with you." Rukia's eyes narrowed and Renji shivered, recoiling a bit against the wall. "You abandoned me when I needed you most. Don't ever think I will forgive you for that."

"I don't know how many times I have to apologize!" Renji started, staring down at her, his eyes sad. "I've done everything I could to make up for it!"

"It will never be enough." Rukia slowly stepped back from Renji, letting him out of her hold before nodding off down the alley. "Go home, Renji. Tell my brother everything that happened if you must. I don't care. I have a date to get back to."

Rukia turned and walked away quickly, making her way back to the side entrance of the restaurant and sliding back to her seat before Ichigo noticed she was gone. Or at least she had hoped so.

XXxxxXXXxxxXX

Dinner went surprisingly well. Ichigo found himself sliding back into a really easy conversation with Rukia. He didn't really believe that she had slipped off to the bathroom when he wasn't looking, but he wasn't going to grill her just yet. He didn't want to try and force the truth out of her. After all, she seemed to be just as comfortable around him as he was with her. They talked all through the meal, laughing easily, and plenty. Ichigo's sides hurt by the time the check came around. What was it about this woman that just made it so easily to be around?

They talked about everything. From Ichigo's family, telling her all about his dad and his sister, to his time at school and his friend Chad, the true stoic giant. Rukia talked a bit about her brother, that he wasn't really her brother by blood but marriage. She didn't talk about her sister much, she tried to steer the conversation away from that as much as possible. But Ichigo couldn't blame her, every time his mom came up, he did the same thing.

When the waiter came to take the check, Ichigo had already put his wallet away and was gathering up the bags when Rukia stopped him, reaching a hand across the table and resting it on his wrist.

"You've been a good sport through all of this. I don't want you carrying those all the way back to my place."

"I don't mind it, really." Ichigo tried to protest, but she got this look in her eye that said 'don't question me' and Ichigo just went with it. As they were leaving, Rukia was walking with all the bags in her hands, looking through them from time to time to check on her dresses. The two walked out of the downtown area to the nearest bus stop where Rukia turned to face Ichigo, a smile on her face.

"I'm going to take the bus back. You're probably tired, and I don't want you walking me all the way back. My brother might just assault you." She said it in a joking manner, but Ichigo caught a hint of truth behind her words.

"Yeah." He paused for a second before looking down at her. "So, uh … I had fun."

"I did too." Rukia said with a smirk, reaching out and punching him in the gut. "See, I'm not so bad am I?

"Nah, for a midget you're actually pretty cool." Ichigo grinned down at her. Rukia fumed for a moment before punching him in the stomach again, a bit harder this time. "Hey, watch it. I don't want to throw up my food!"

"Don't call me a midget then, Strawberry." Rukia huffed up at him. Ichigo stared down at her for a moment before grinning at her. Normally, he hated being called that. But there was something about the way it sounded coming off of her lips. It was like music to his ears.

"Alright then Short Cake." He smirked down at her. Rukia blushed a bit before looking up at him, the same smirk on her face.

"So, Strawberry and Short Cake, huh?" She said, teasing him a bit. Ichigo laughed and nodded, his hands moving into his pockets.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Well, we could be called worse I guess." Rukia laughed softly before looking off to the side to see the bus start to pull up. "This is me."

"When do I get to see you again?" Ichigo asked, a bit of hope in his voice. Rukia looked up at him in shock, her eyes a little wide.

"You want to see me again?"

"Well yeah, I still owe you a dress, don't I?" Rukia blushed again before looking off the side and nodding, smiling softly.

"Yeah, I guess you do."

"So, when?"

"How about next week? Thursday?" Rukia looked up at him, her eyes filled with the same bit of hope that Ichigo had in his voice.

"Thursday sounds nice." Ichigo nodded. The bus pulled up and stopped, the air from the brakes squealing out loudly. Rukia turned to look at the bus and then back at her date with a smile.

"Thursday it is then. I'll see you then, Strawberry."

"Yeah, you will Short Cake." Ichigo called after her as she got onto the bus. The doors closed behind her and he watched as the public transport drove off. Ichigo stood there for a while until the bus was out of sight, making sure that she got away before he turned and started the long walk back to his apartment, planning out in his head what they could do for their second date.


	5. A Night in the City

A/N: I forgot to add an Author's Note to the last chapter, so I kind of feel obligated to do it now. I have no idea what to say, honestly, but I can tell you all this right now: This is going to be a long one. This story has been in my head for close to fifteen years, and I'm finally able to get it out. Thank you all for the reviews and support, you're all awesome. I hope you're settled in, because things are going to start getting interesting here very soon.

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Another night with no sleep, another night on the roof of his apartment building. Ichigo took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair, staring up at the night sky. With how often he came up here, Ichigo thought about putting in a little lawn chair for him to sit in whenever he needed it, but it'd more than likely end up stolen by whoever else liked to use the roof. Besides, he liked to stand. Being on his feet helped Ichigo think, it helped him sort out everything going on his head. He hadn't really gotten much time to do that lately. Looking up at the moon, Ichigo couldn't help but scoff a bit. His old man was right again.

It wasn't as bright as it was a few nights ago, but it also wasn't a full moon either, still though, it hung there in the sky staring down at him, as if proving a point. The night after he had gotten home from his date with Rukia, he had fallen asleep easily. The moment his head hit the pillow and his eyes closed, he slept soundly, no more dreams. When he woke up, he felt refreshed. Hell, Ichigo even woke up early enough to make himself a quick breakfast before he had to get to work.

But the peaceful sleep hadn't lasted. The next night, the beginning of the dream started to creep in again, and then slowly he was back to not sleeping. Ichigo knew that it wasn't a coincidence, that there was something about the girl that kept him from having the nightmares. He met Rukia on a Tuesday, and now it was a Sunday. The dreams were back and he hadn't seen her since. The only way to really confirm that she helped keep the nightmares at bay was to see her again, and Ichigo had been eagerly counting down the days.

Every route he took at work, he looked for her. Every time he passed by the sidewalk he had first run into her at, he hoped to see her, but she was never there. Ichigo frowned a bit at the thought. Maybe her brother had put her under house arrest, she did say he could be quite controlling. It made him wonder what the rest of her family was like. She hadn't said much, only that they moved around together and her brother was strict. Ichigo decided that he didn't very much care for the guy already, but he would have to reserve his judgement for their actual meeting. If they made it that far.

Taking another deep breath, Ichigo turned to walk back downstairs. Tonight was odd, he didn't feel the eyes on him that he normally felt. He didn't feel anyone watching him. Come to think of it, he hadn't felt like that since the night before he met Rukia. In his mind, Ichigo wondered if it was a coincidence before shrugging it off. After all, it was a stupid thought, and yet … he could still smell lilacs on the night air.

XXxxxXXXxxxXX

Rukia rolled over onto her back in her bed, staring up at the ceiling. It had been five days since she had been on her date. Five days of grueling house arrest where her brother would not let her out of his sight, or their house. She had been dying to get out. To change up the routine, to just get out of the rut that she had been forced into. It was the same damn thing every single day. Wake up, eat breakfast, eat lunch, eat dinner, go to bed. There were little things she could do in between, like read a book, or use the in house gym to get in a quick workout, but there were only so many times you can do the same thing before eventually, you just want to scream.

"I am so BORED!" Rukia groaned up at her ceiling for what felt like the thousandth time since she had been locked away. She had never been to prison before, but she imagined it being something like this, only without the quality of meal and lodging. Still, it didn't stop her from wanting to put on a jumpsuit and play the harmonica. Maybe her idea of prison a little out of date, but still, she liked her version better than reality.

Things had been awkward in the house between her and Renji, but it wasn't like that was anything new. Ever since her date, the two of them had gone out of their way to avoid one another. Well, Rukia had actually been the one to be going out of her way. She didn't want to see him, if it hadn't been for him being the loyal lapdog, maybe she could have gotten out every few nights to enjoy the night sky. And go see the person she wanted to see the most.

She couldn't help but replay the date in her mind every time she was left alone with her thoughts, analyzing every word he had said, and probably reading too much into it. Still, his attitude, the stories he told about his family, they all seemed to explain a lot behind the look in his eyes. In the back of her mind, Rukia was already planning what they could do for their next date, imagining that Ichigo was doing the same. It helped to get her through the monotony of the day.

A knock on her door broke her out of her thoughts and she sat up in bed, sighing to herself. There weren't many people in the house, but Rukia didn't often get visitors. Usually it was just her brother coming to tell her about their plans, or worse, to announce when they were moving. If it was the latter, Rukia didn't really know if she could take the news. She had just gotten settled here, things were going fine, and … Ichigo was here.

"Come in."

The door opened slowly at her words, and a head of pink hair popped out from the bottom of the door and Rukia couldn't help but smile at the sight. Yachiru was always a welcome sight in the glumness of the house.

"Ruki, can I come in?"

"Of course you can."

Yachiru giggled happily and burst through the door, climbing up onto the bed quickly and plopping herself down right next to Rukia with a big smile. The two stared at each other for a moment before Yachiru pouted a bit and looked off towards the still open door.

"Kenny's being a sourpuss. Byakki's being mean to him again."

"I'm sorry. My brother can get like that sometimes." Rukia said, reaching out and ruffling Yachiru's hair a bit, making the young girl giggle a bit before looking up at Rukia. "Is that why you're here?"

"Yep-yep! I knew Ruki was feeling down so I came to see if I could cheer you up!" Yachiru scooted a bit closer to Rukia on the bed, leaning over a bit and reaching out to grab Rukia's knees. "I heard you met a _boy_!" Yachiru whispered almost conspiratorially. Rukia couldn't help but giggle herself and nod, leaning forward a bit and taking Yachiru's hands in her own.

"Yeah, I did. And he's super nice."

"Would Kenny like him?!" Yachiru asked excitedly. Rukia laughed softly and shook her head. Yachiru didn't care about anyone's approval but Kenpachi's. Anything he liked, she liked. And that went all the way up to people. But the question was a bit strange, since she didn't quite know how Kenpachi would react to Ichigo. Frankly, the thought of bringing him back to her home to meet anyone made Rukia more than a little nervous.

"I don't know honestly." Rukia frowned a bit and looked off to the side for a moment before turning her gaze back to Yachiru. "I mean, I only know a little bit about him."

"Well then it's settled! You have to get to know him more to find out if Kenny would like him." Yachiru leaned back and closed her eyes, nodding sagely as she brought a hand up to her chin. "And if Kenny likes him, then I like him, and if I like him, then you two can get married."

"Woah, where did marriage come into play here?" Rukia laughed, her eyes opened up a little wide, her hands up in the air as if to protect her from the thought process of the young girl.

"Well, I mean, your stupid brother won't let it happen. So that just means Kenny and I will have to steal you two away so you can get married somewhere."

"Yachiru?"

"Yeah Ruki?"

"Please don't ever change." Rukia chuckled softly and ruffled the young girl's hair again, a wide smile on her face. It was still a little bit too early to consider marriage to Ichigo, there were a lot of hoops to go through for that one. But still, Rukia had to admit, she liked the thought of it. It kept her away from the dread of reality. And after all, Rukia liked this new story that Yachiru had come up, much more than reality.

XXxxxXXXxxxXX

"So you swear you didn't set him up?"

"Who? Me? Why would I do such a thing?"

"I don't know Kisuke, because you like to try to butt into people's lives?" Kisuke laughed behind his fan, his eyes lit up with amusement at his oldest friend sitting across the table from him. The two had a dinner date once a week to catch up, and tonight it was Yoruichi's turn to pick the place. A nice little bistro out by the lake staffed completely with gorgeous women. Kisuke could tell why Yoruichi liked the place, the food was good, and he could only assume that the other meals she had here were equally as delicious. Their waitress seemed to recognize his friend, judging by the blush she had on her face whenever she came by to check on them.

"If I set him up, trust me, you would be the first to know, but I had nothing to do with this." Kisuke said, putting his fan down on the table to reveal his big grin. "I mean really. Could you imagine the lengths I would have to go through to keep this from you, AND get her in the right place at the right time for Ichigo to run her over on his bike?"

"You've done a lot more grand schemes than that, Kisuke." Yoruichi smirked a bit at him, poking at her food with her utensils for a moment before taking a bit. "I mean, remember Kensei and Mashiro?"

"And look how well that turned out, neither of them want to talk to me anymore!" Kisuke said with a slight laugh, bringing a hand up to rub at the back of his head.

"They still ended up together." Yoruichi said, pointing her fork at Kisuke with a grin. "So just because it ended up with you on a shit list, doesn't mean that you didn't play a hand in it."

"And it was my greatest scheme." Kisuke said with a sigh of approval, leaning back in his seat and looking inside the bistro. "But this whole thing with Ichigo, not my doing. I swear."

"If you say so." Yoruichi forked a bit more of her food into her mouth before leaning back in her seat again, looking at her friend. "Still though, it's a bit weird, isn't it?"

"What is?"

"Ichigo running into this girl and she just wants him to buy her a new dress." Yoruichi said thoughtfully, crossing her arms at her chest. "I mean, unless it were a really cute girl, I'd end up demanding the dude's job."

"Yeah, it's a bit strange. But then again, this is Ichigo we're talking about." Kisuke said, turning to look at his friend with a sad smile. "The kid deserves a bit of a break."

"I can't really argue with you there." Yoruichi said, looking off to the side a bit before turning to face her friend with a smirk. "She's pretty too. Kid got lucky."

"I don't know about that," Kisuke said, lifting his fan up to his face and hiding his smirk behind it. "Sometimes the prettiest things end up being the deadliest." Kisuke stood and made his way past Yoruichi, placing his hand on her shoulder and smiling down at her. "I'll pay for the meal tonight."

"You bet your ass you will. You ate more than me." Yoruichi said with a smirk as she shrugged off Kisuke's hand, watching him walk away into the bistro.

As he walked inside, he saw the new girl working the counter, just where he knew she would be. Kisuke thought she would have been prettier if not for that empty look that was constantly on her face, but he wasn't really here to stare at her beauty. He was here to deliver a message.

Walking up to the counter, he rested a hand on the surface and smiled at the tall woman behind it. There was a hint of recognition behind her gaze, but she didn't say anything, and her face remained as passive as ever.

"Come to pay, sir?" She said, her voice as emotionless as her stare. Kisuke figured there were more than likely some people who found that sort of thing attractive, but knowing the girl, and her past, he knew that there was no way anyone was going to be able to crack that shell. Not for a very long time.

"Yes, actually." Kisuke reached into his pocket for his wallet, pulling out some money and handing it to the young woman. "And I have a message for your father. Tell him that his delivery is ready."

The woman glanced up at him before looking back to the register and nodding. Handing Kisuke back his change, she gave him a copy of the receipt before resting her hands at her sides. "Please come again soon."

Kisuke just nodded and turned, making his way out of the bistro and to where his friend was waiting for him, a raised eyebrow on her face.

"Everything go okay in there?"

"Yeah, just got a weird feeling from the girl behind the counter is all." Kisuke smiled to Yoruichi before joining her to walk along the trail by the lake. It hurt, not telling her about what was really going on, but he knew it was for her safety. Kisuke was much better at keeping secrets than his best friend was ever truly capable of knowing.


	6. Arrivals and Surprises

A/N: This one is a bit longer than the other chapters, but I had the most fun writing it. I had to take a break for a little while, and it's getting put out a little late, but better late then never. It's a little late to get out there, and I apologize for that. I had to take a short break while writing it because it started to get long and I needed to recharge my batteries. I think I took too long though, because it's a little past 3:30 AM as I'm hitting publish. But we're just getting started everyone! So buckle up, because we've got a while to go!

* * *

It was a Tuesday night. Life was quiet on the street, no cars had come down the road in what felt like hours. But then again, it wasn't all that surprising to not see anyone at four in the morning on a Tuesday night. Technically, it would be Tuesday morning, but for Rukia, the day didn't end until she fell asleep. And she hadn't slept in a while, at least not easily. The house arrest was starting to kill her, she had already been plotting ways to get out of the house with Yachiru. It was scary what that child could come up with and make it seem perfectly innocent. Nothing was safe in that girl's hands. Ever.

Rukia lay on her bed, staring up at the ceiling again, like she did most nights, and groaned out loudly. Boredom was beginning to set in again. She wished for something, anything to come and make her life a bit more interesting while she was stuck here, staring at her walls. As if there was something that was listening to her, she was delivered her wish.

It wasn't unusual to hear a car driving down the road every now and then, but at four in the morning it was very strange. And it was even stranger for that car to stop outside of her home. But what made it the strangest, was the sounds coming from the car. Rukia couldn't resist and stood from her bed, making her way to the window to look outside at what was going on when she spotted it. A taxi. And not just any taxi, but a taxi-van. Hope welled up inside of her at the sight, and she took off out of her room and down the hallways of her home to the front door. It was like Christmas come early.

When she reached the front door, Rukia threw it open wide with a huge smile on her face as the door to the taxi open, revealing the people inside. One voice echoed out louder than everyone else's, and Rukia was worried he was going to wake the neighbors with his whine.

"But my sweet little Nanao, why did we have to leave so early?!"

"Because Jushiro can't be in the heat too long."

"I know, I know. But a man needs his beauty sleep! I'm going to wind up getting all wrinkly like the old man!"

"That is impossible and you know it."

"But it's so much better to not take chances!"

Slowly, the taxi unloaded itself of it's passengers, and Rukia stood in the front door watching. Slowly, a tall man wearing a bright pink, flowery shirt lumbered out of the car and nearly stumbled over his own feet. He laughed easily and looked up at the open door, waving to Rukia with a bright smile. A young woman crawled out of the seat behind him, putting her hand on his shoulder to support herself as she slipped gracefully down onto the ground.

The young woman was dressed conservatively, wearing a blazer with a collared shirt underneath and a pencil skirt. In one hand, she was holding a pair of beige heels, and in the other she had a book tucked under her arm. She glanced up at the door and gave a soft smile and a nod of the head to Rukia, who waved back at the pair eagerly. As the two of them wandered to the back of the car, Rukia waited for their third companion to come out of the car.

The side door of the taxi opened and another tall stepped out, his long white hair held back in a loose ponytail and hanging down his back. A kind smile was on his face as he payed the driver, apologizing quietly for the antics of his friend before turning to look at the door, but Rukia wasn't there. She had bolted out the moment that she had seen him and nearly tackled him in a tight hug.

"Ah, Jushiro, I think someone missed you." Shunsui said in a sing-song voice, a bright smile on his face as he watched his friend hug Rukia back.

"It certainly does seem that way." Pulling away from the hug, Ukitake crouched down in front of Rukia and rested his hands on her shoulders, his smile even wider now. "Don't worry, I missed you too."

"I'm so glad you stopped by! I was worried I wasn't going to see you this year!"

"And miss a chance to pay a visit to one of my favorite people? Never." Ukitake winked and gave Rukia another hug before standing up and making his way to the back of the taxi. Nanao and Shunsui were arguing as the driver unloaded what seemed like an endless array of luggage, most of it Rukia knew was Shunsui's.

"So where did you go to this time?"

"We just got back from Moscow." Ukitake said, reaching into the sliding door at the side of the van and pulling out a few smaller suitcases and setting them down on the sidewalk. "Though we travelled all through Russia. This time we actually made it out to the country."

"It was so boooring!" Shunsui whined, poking out from behind the van, pouting a bit. "Have you ever seen the Russian countryside? It's flat. And cold."

"He's just complaining because there were no good bars. Or pretty girls." Ukitake said quietly to Rukia with a playful smirk on his face. Rukia giggled a bit and glanced back at the house to see her brother standing in the doorway, staring with eyes wide at the spectacle in front of them. No doubt he was coming to see why Rukia had run out on her own and chastise her for it.

 _The tables have turned, brother._

"How long are you in town for?" Rukia asked hopefully, her eyes lighting up a bit. It was always an adventure when Ukitake and Shunsui were in town, and something exciting was always bound to follow in their wake. That, and Rukia knew that her brother would be a bit more lenient on her, the pair were the bane of her brother's existence, and she reveled in it when they came to visit.

"Oh a few months at least. After all, I've heard some wonderful things about this city."

"And apparently there's a bistro run by gorgeous women somewhere in town!" Shunsui added from behind the van with a playful grin on his face. "I'm really looking forward to ordering some delicious meals."

A loud 'thwack' could be heard from behind the van and Shunsui stumbled into Rukia's view, one hand on the back of his head. He turned to face Nanao, the young woman stepping into view now, wielding her book in both hands with a look that could kill.

"Oh come on Nanao dear, I was just kidding."

"Yeah, I bet you were." She said coldly, stalking slowly towards Shunsui, who had a hand out towards her and was trying to give her an easy smile.

"I promise, I promise! It was just a joke."

"If I catch you flirting with any women in town, I'm going to do a lot more than hit you with this book, Shunsui."

"Uh-oh, she used his first name." Ukitake whispered down to Rukia, crossing his arms at his chest to watch the two, a smile on his face. "You know she's getting serious."

"When is she not when he's being a flirt?" Rukia asked, looking up at Ukitake with an evil grin.

"You raise a good point Rukia." Ukitake turned to look at the driver who was still unloading things from the taxi, not noticing that Byakuya was coming down the walkway towards him. Rukia turned to face her brother, suddenly turning serious. Ukitake turned to look down at her, catching her sudden change in demeanor before looking up at Byakuya and smiling wide.

"This is rather unexpected, Jushiro."

"Ah, it is. I'm sorry, we would have called ahead of time but our departure was rather sudden."

"If we had known you were coming, I would have had rooms prepared for you." Byakuya said evenly, glancing down at Rukia before looking up at Ukitake. There was something in his gaze when he looked down at his sister, but Rukia couldn't quite put her finger on it. "As it stands, we don't have anything prepared right now."

"That's perfectly fine. We'll stay out of your way while we find somewhere to stay."

"Nonsense!" Byakuya's stance stiffened at the sound of Shunsui's voice, the taller man walking over to the group and resting a hand on Byakuya's shoulder, grinning wide. "There's room in that big house, we can just clean up any mess you've made in there."

"It wouldn't be appropriate."

"Always so serious, Byakuya. You should loosen up a bit." Shunsui gave a playful shove to Byakuya's shoulder, smirking and moving to stand Ukitake, throwing his arm around the shoulder of his old friend. "Why, I remember a time when you were younger, you had quite the mischievous streak in you."

Byakuya's eyes went a bit wide and his already stiff spine seemed to get even worse as he tried to stand up even taller than he actually was. He stared at Shunsui, partly afraid of what the man would say, and partly trying to shut him up with his gaze. After all, Rukia was standing right there, and she had never known what the young Byakuya was like before he got so serious. However, the comment did break her out of her 'proper' state of mind as she turned to look at Shunsui.

"Wait, he was what?"

"Oh yeah. Your brother was quite the troublemaker." Shunsui grinned down at Rukia, having to lean on his friend a bit for support. "Why, I remember when he was a kid and he lit Yama's mustache on fire. Old man Kuchiki didn't let him out of the house for MONTHS! You nearly gave your granddad a heart attack, Byakuya!"

If looks could kill, Byakuya would have turned into a murderer right then and there. His hands clenched into fists at his sides and he stared at Shunsui with a quiet anger.

"There are free rooms in the downstairs hallway." Byakuya said as evenly as possible, though there was a slight quiver in his voice as he glared down at Shunsui. "They are yours for however long you need them."

"There's the Kuchiki hospitality we know so well." Shunsui said with a smile, walking past Byakuya slowly and towards the house. "We'll try to stay out of your hair as much as possible."

"Wait, Shunsui! Come back here! You need to help me carry the luggage inside!" Nanao shouted at him from the back of the van. Shunsui did his best to ignore her, whistling loudly while he walked to the open door. Nanao was not going to let him get away though.

All that could be heard was the sound of something whistling through the air and then another loud 'thwack' echoed into the night and Shunsui fell forward onto the walkway. On the grass lying next to him was Nanao's book, expertly thrown at the back of his head. Byakuya had turned to look at what had happened, and Rukia could have sworn that she had seen a look of karmic justice in her brother's eyes, and a slight smile tugging at the corners of his lips. But Rukia shrugged it off, playing it up to a trick of the mind.

Nanao stomped through the front lawn towards him, rolling up the sleeves of her jacket and grumbling to herself under her breath. Shunsui whined out loudly as she grabbed onto the collar of his shirt and dragged him back to the van. Ukitake laughed quietly before returning his attention to Byakuya and speaking softly.

"I promise you that we won't interfere too much with your home. Thank you for letting us stay."

"You are welcome." Byakuya turned back to face Ukitake, his face returned to that expressionless stare, but Rukia noticed that the hand at his side had unclenched and was much more relaxed now. "Tell Nanao that she is more than welcome to my study whenever she wishes. I must head inside."

"I'll let her know." Ukitake smiled and Byakuya turned to walk back inside. Turning to Rukia, Ukitake shivered exaggeratedly before laughing. "He's so cold now. I miss the younger man I knew."

"Did he really set Yamamoto's mustache on fire?" It was the only thing Rukia could think to ask, her eyes wide with the image. Ukitake laughed and nodded, resting his hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah, he did. But that's a story for him to tell, not us." Ukitake smirks and glances back to the door of the house. "After all, he tells it best." Winking, Ukitake turns to grab some of his suitcases and head back into the house.

"Yachiru will be happy to see you." Rukia said, following the white haired man inside, towing along one of his suitcases with her. Ukitake laughed a bit again, wheeling the suitcase to the side of the hall before making his way into the living room.

"I can imagine. Has she been behaving."

"It's Yachiru, what do you think?"

"Good point." Ukitake settled himself down onto a chair with a loud groan, motioning for Rukia to sit on the couch across from him. "And how about you? How have you been Rukia?"

"Under house arrest." Rukia slumped down into the chair with a 'huff'. "Byakuya won't let me out of his sight."

"Ah, you've been sneaking out again."

"Yeah, but this time is different." Rukia leaned back a bit in her seat and took a deep breath. "This time I lied to him. And I met someone."

"Oh? You lied to your brother, and you met someone that he didn't personally approve of?" Ukitake grinned and leaned forward in his seat. "What a scandal."

"It is for this family." Rukia sighed again, shaking her head. "So now I'm stuck here."

"Well, what's he like?"

"What?"

"This person you met, what's he like?" Ukitake scooted forward in his seat a bit, always the one for gossip around the house. "I want to know everything."

Rukia's lips curled up into a smile at the thought of Ichigo, her head leaning back on the couch and looking up at the ceiling. For the first time, it didn't feel like it was about to come crashing down on her. That's when she told Ukitake everything, from the beginning. About the boy she found on the roof, about their first meeting on the street, about lying to her brother that night, about their date. She told him everything, and it felt so good to tell someone. Like a dam bursting. Ukitake sat there and listened, nodding along with her and smiling all the while. By the time she was done telling him the story, Nanao and Shunsui had finished unloading the car and their luggage was piled high in the hallway, the two of them taking a seat beside Rukia and listening to her story.

When she was finished, they sat there in silence for a moment before Shunsui clapped his hands together and stood up from his seat.

"Come Jushiro, we must save this budding romance!"

"And how exactly do you plan on doing that?" Ukitake looked up at his friend with a raised eyebrow, but the smirk on his face said everything Rukia needed to know.

"We're going to go talk to Byakuya. A love like this must not be wasted!"

"W-woah! I never said I loved him!" Rukia said defensively, looking back and forth between the two men, but Nanao just stared at her with a knowing grin.

"Shh child. We'll have you back with your Romeo before the night is over!"

"Romeo died at the end." Nanao said pointedly, looking up at Shunsui. "And he was just trying to get into Juliet's dress."

"Why would he do that? That dress is far too small for him." Shunsui countered, resting his hand on Nanao's shoulder, keeping his gaze on his old friend. "Now, come Jushiro! We will save our dear Rukia!" And with that, Shunsui took off to find Byakuya.

Ukitake just sighed and pushed himself up off of his seat, turning to follow his friend out of the room, but not before telling Nanao that she could use Byakuya's study whenever she wished. The young woman got a look of delight and stood up from her seat.

"I need to see what new books your brother's got since my last time here." Nanao said excitedly as she made her way past Rukia. As if remembering something urgent, Nanao turned around and rushed back to Rukia, embracing her in a tight hug.

"It's good to see you," Nanao said quietly to Rukia, who returned the hug being given happily. "You have to take me out to see the city soon."

"Count on it." Rukia said with a smile, pulling back from the hug. Nanao gave a quick wave before turning and rushing off to the study, making Rukia chuckle. The two had gotten close over the many visits that Shunsui and Ukitake liked to pay to the family, and now Rukia liked to think of Nanao like a surrogate sister. The thought made her miss Hisana all the more, but in the end, Rukia knew that Hisana would have felt the same way about the spectacled woman.

XXxxxXXXxxxXX

Byakuya sighed deeply as he rested on the edge of his bed, staring at the floor. He had worked so hard to remain proper, to remain stoic, but whenever his two old friends arrived, he found that facade slipping, and he ended up slowly reverting back to his old self. He couldn't afford it. If word got back to the other members of his family, everything would be ruined. He wouldn't just lose his status, he would lose his family, and the last thing he wanted was to ruin the promise he had made to Hisana to keep Rukia safe.

She pushed his buttons constantly, but he loved her. She truly was his sister, and everything he did, he did to make sure that she was kept safe. A part of him wished that he could tell her everything, that he could just come out and say the truth, but he couldn't. Words weren't always his strong suit, and even now, he was having a hard time formulating the thought of telling her what was going on. It was difficult, and he recalled a time when even telling Hisana his true feelings for her was near impossible to do.

Byakuya was shaken out of his thoughts by the sound of his name being called through the house, his back stiffening as he sat straight up. Two words floated through his mind that he knew he would never be allowed to say out loud, two simple words that meant quite a lot to him in a lot of moments.

 _Oh shit._

Byakuya took a deep breath and made his way out into the hallway to see Shunsui roaming it, shouting loudly for him, Ukitake behind him trying to quiet his friend. Byakuya also desperately hoped that Shunsui would quiet down before he woke up Yachiru. The house could not handle a sleep deprived pink haired demon.

"I'm over here." Byakuya said quietly, making his way towards the pair. At the sound of his voice, Shunsui turned to face Byakuya and grinned widely, walking quickly over to the younger man.

"Ah, there you! We have much to talk about."

"Ah, Shunsui. Please keep it down. We don't want to wake Yachiru do we?" At the question, Shunsui noticeably paled and nodded quickly. When he spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper.

"That is a good point. Let us find somewhere quieter to have our discussion."

"It's for the best." Ukitake said softly, nodding a bit. Byakuya fought back the grin he wanted to put on his face. It was so very rare when Shunsui ended up going pale, or quiet, but when it happened, it was always a moment for Byakuya to revel in. Motioning for the two to come into his room, Byakuya held the door open for the two men.

"So we get to see the inside of the famed Byakuya Kuchiki's personal bedroom?" Shunsui said quietly, whistling softly as he stepped past the threshold. "It's a lot more spartan than I thought it'd be."

"What were you expecting?" Ukitake said as he stepped into the room after his friend. Byakuya came in last, closing the door behind him before looking to face his two companions.

"I don't know … more memorabilia? Family heirlooms? Pictures? Something." Shunsui shook his head in disappointment, looking up at Byakuya with a mock serious expression. "How do you sleep at night?"

"Comfortably." Byakuya allowed himself the small joke before moving to sit down on the bed. When the two of them came to talk to him together, it was bound to be a long talk. He knew that Rukia thought his speeches were long, but when Ukitake and Shunsui wound up in the same room with him, he was in for an all nighter. "Now, what is it that we have to discuss so badly."

"Rukia's house arrest." Ukitake said, looking around and finding the room slowly before making his way to the door. "Excuse me, I'm going to find us some chairs."

"Yes, your torture of our poor girl!" Shunsui said dramatically. "How can you be so cruel to her?"

"She told you that she snuck out, I take it?"

"She told us everything. Have you ever known that girl to hide things from the two of us?" Shunsui said with a smirk, his act gone. Ukitake came back in a few moments later with a couple of stools, closing the door behind him and setting them down across from Byakuya's bed. The two took a seat and settled in to get comfortable before Ukitake broke the silence.

"She told us that you had her followed."

"She lied to me. She's never done that." Byakuya looked down a bit and took a deep breath. "I had to know she was safe. Perhaps my decision wasn't … appropriate."

"Did you ever stop to wonder why she was lying to you?" Ukitake said softly, resting his hands on his lap and leaning back a bit on the stool.

"The thought honestly had never crossed my mind." Byakuya said softly. He knew where this was going. "I know about the boy. I know about her interest in him."

"Is that why you locked her away? Because of what he is?" Shunsui's voice was stern and serious, a mark contrast to the bright pink flowery shirt he wore. But Byakuya knew better. When Shunsui spoke seriously, that meant you listen.

"I … perhaps overreacted." Byakuya said, looking up at the black haired man, his expression softening. "I did not want what happened to me to happen to her."

"That's her choice, Byakuya, and you know that." Ukitake said softly. "I know why you have done what you did between her and Abarai, but Rukia is her own person. She will make her own decisions and she will live her life like she wants. You cannot change that."

"She said that too." Byakuya said softly, looking off to the side. "When Renji returned with his story, he told me what she had said. She just … she can't see what's at stake."

"And even if you told her, she still wouldn't do it." Shunsui said, leaning back in his stool and resting his hands behind her head. "Take it from someone who was in her position once, the harder you push her to your own ends, the harder she's going to push back against you."

"So what do you suggest I do?" Byakuya looked between the two men, his eyes narrowed and that famed Kuchiki properness about him again. "Let her risk her life, and the life of this family on what could be a reckless whim?"

"Or you trust that she makes a smart decision and ends up happy. Like you did with Hisana, or me with Nanao." Shunsui's voice cut through the air, silencing any argument that filled the air. "What happened to your wife was a tragedy, Byakuya, no one denies that. But you can't honestly think it was a mistake to marry her."

"No, it wasn't a mistake." Byakuya said softly.

"So then let Rukia make her choices. Let her be with the person she wants. Keeping her locked up will only make her hate you," Ukitake said, leaning forward a bit in his stool. "Let her out, let her go see this boy. Let things progress, and if they get to a certain point, then we'll be here to help you take care of it."

Byakuya looked up at the two men, Shunsui nodding in support of Ukitake's words, a smile on his face. He couldn't help but sigh. They were right, Byakuya knew that, but in the end, he didn't want to admit it to himself. He had made a promise to keep her safe, and to keep the family safe. Rukia was the key to it all, but the tighter he tried to control her, the more unhappy she had become, and the more she fought back against him. It was becoming a struggle to get her to even say hello to him now.

"You're right," Byakuya said after a long moment, letting out a deep breath. "You both are always right when it comes to her. Maybe you should be her caretakers."

"You're doing fine. You're just young, and trying very hard to keep control of a very difficult situation." Shunsui stood up, walking over to Byakuya and resting a hand on his shoulder, smiling softly down at the man. "Don't worry. Your family is unique, but in time, they'll change. Everyone does eventually."

"Thank you both." Byakuya looked at the two men, allowing himself a soft smile before it faded from his face and he stood from his bed. "Now, I'm going to have to show you to your rooms, it's the proper thing to do, and I'm sure you've had a long trip."

"But I wanted to have a few drinks first!" Shunsui whined, returning to his playful persona as Ukitake stood and took his friend by the shoulders, guiding him out of Byakuya's room.

"Come now Shunsui, I think that's our friend's way of saying he's tired and he needs sleep."

"He's always such a spoilsport! Never wants to have a drink with us normal folk!"

"Yes, yes. Now let's get some of your things unpacked and we'll get you settled into your room." Turning as he led his friend out of the room, Ukitake turned to look at Byakuya over his shoulder, a smile playing across his lips. "Don't worry so much about her. She's stronger than she looks."

And with that, they were gone, and Byakuya was left alone to his thoughts. Perhaps he had kept his sister cooped up for too long. Perhaps he hadn't given her the freedom she had earned. Sighing, Byakuya moved to his nightstand and pulled open a drawer, reaching in to grab a photo that he held dear. It was a picture of him, Rukia and Hisana during a happier time, the three of them smiling on a bright day. He remembered it fondly. It was before everything happened. Before Hisana and his parents were taken from him. He wanted to see Rukia smile like that again, and she hadn't in so long. Maybe this boy would help bring that happiness to her life like Hisana had brought happiness to his.

There was only one way to be sure of it.

XXxxxXXXxxxXX

Ichigo enjoyed his days off. It gave him time to be lazy in his apartment and not care about the world for a few hours. But today, he knew a better way to spend his time. Tomorrow was his second date, and Ichigo had requested that he take Wednesday off so that he could wander through the city to find places that he may be able to take Rukia. So far, he had a few items on his list, but there were still a few more places to go. He really didn't want to turn into a cliche date of dinner and a movie, so he had worked hard to find the special places that he could take her.

Arcades, mini-golf courses, another shopping trip through a different part of town. He had even asked Mizuiro where he took his dates and had been offered plenty of locations that his work friend had guaranteed him would help 'seal the deal', whatever that meant. But Ichigo didn't want to rush things. Something about Rukia made her special. She was different, he didn't want to make this a one time thing. He wanted to keep seeing her. It was like a magnetic pull, from the first moment that they had finally gotten to spend together, just the two of them, and they weren't fighting, he had felt drawn to her. Even when she wasn't near him, he couldn't stop thinking of her, and the thoughts he had helped cheer him up just a bit. He was feeling good, tomorrow was date number two, and if he played his cards right, it would be the second of many more.

Ichigo was brought out of his thoughts as he ran into someone in front of him on the sidewalk, growling and about to shout when he noticed who it was. She was short, and wearing another sundress with a different jacket, red jacket this time and an orange dress today. But no coffee this time.

"Oi, watch where you're go-" Rukia was cut off as she turned around to see Ichigo standing in front of her. The sunglasses on her face hid her eyes, and Ichigo felt a little disappointed about that, but he couldn't complain too much. He had run into her again. Literally. And this time it was under much better circumstances.

"I see you left the coffee out this time." He said with a grin, pointing to her empty hands. Rukia looked down before laughing, the sound of music to his ears.

"Yeah, looks like it. It's good to see you again." Rukia tilted her glasses down a bit to get a better look at the tall man in front of her, showing those gorgeous violet eyes to him. Ichigo had been haunted by those eyes every night, but he had never hated it. In fact, he looked forward to seeing them every night when he slept.

"Yeah, you too. I was actually hoping I'd run into you again before tomorrow."

"Oh? Getting desperate to see me, Strawberry?" Rukia grinned and nudged him a little bit with her elbow. Ichigo laughed softly and raised up one hand to rub the back of his neck, nodding a bit.

"Well, not desperate, but I hadn't seen you, and I remembered that I hadn't given you my number or anything before." Ichigo shrugged a bit and dropped his hand to his side. "I was beginning to wonder if you were still going to meet me for our date."

"Oh I'll be there. I never skip out on a good time."

"How do you know it's going to be a good time, Short Cake?"

"Just a feeling I've got," Rukia said with a smirk. The two of them stood there in silence for a few long moments, just looking at each other, before Ichigo pulled out his phone.

"Give me your number." It wasn't really a question, and Rukia raised an eyebrow at the way that he talked to her.

"What, no 'please'? Not going to try and sweet talk me into it?" Rukia scoffed and snatched his phone out of his hand. "Romance is dead."

Ichigo was about to retort when she shoved his phone into his hands with a smirk, tapping the screen with one of her fingers. Looking down, he couldn't help but grin too. She had listed herself as 'Short Cake' in his contacts, complete with everything he needed to get in touch with her.

"There. Now you can text me, or call, whenever you want. Happy now, Strawberry?"

"You have no idea." Ichigo started typing away a text message before hitting send. He watched as Rukia reached into a pocket on her sundress and pulled out her phone, her lips curling into a smirk when she saw the message.

 _Kukaku's Golf Land, six o'clock. Sound good?_

Rukia glanced up at Ichigo before turning her attention to her phone and tapping away at the screen. He watched for a few minutes, still smirking as she typed away. It took a minute, but he felt the phone buzz in his hand and looked down to see the message she had sent him, the grin on his face getting even wider.

 _Sounds fine to me. But I expect a long round._

Ichigo didn't reply to it, not yet. Instead he looked down at Rukia and slid his phone into his pocket. The two stared at each other again for a long few moments before someone cleared their throat behind Rukia. Ichigo looked up to see who it was, scowling just a bit at the interruption. It was a taller woman with glasses, her black hair done up in a bun, wearing a green sweater with a collared shirt underneath and a short skirt.

"She with you?" Ichigo looked down at Rukia, pointing as casually as he could towards the woman who was staring at them with a smirk. Rukia turned around and spotted the woman before turning back to Ichigo with a blush and nodding.

"Yeah, that's Nanao. She's a friend of the family, she's in town visiting for a bit." Rukia looked up at Ichigo and smiled softly. "I'm supposed to be showing her around town."

"Ah. Well, I'll let you get back to it. I'm glad I got to see you though," Ichigo said, smiling wide at Rukia. The shorter woman nodded, her smile getting a bit wider.

"Yeah, I'm happy I saw you too." Nanao cleared her throat again and Rukia turned around to shoot a glare her way before looking back to Ichigo. "I'll see you tomorrow Strawberry."

"Yes you will, Short Cake."

XXxxxXXXxxxXX

"Was that him?" Nanao asked quietly as the two walked away from the bookstore. Rukia nodded as they walked, chewing on her bottom lip. One of her hands had found it's way into the pocket where she kept her phone, her hand tightly grasped around the gase in her palm.

"Yeah, that was him."

"He's cute." Nanao glanced back over her shoulder towards Ichigo before looking down at Rukia with a grin. "I can see why you're falling for him so hard."

"Hey, not in love. Just … interested." Rukia mumbled softly, staring at the ground as they walked. Nanao scoffed beside her and looked up at the crowd.

"Oh please, you're in love. And to think, you only really met him last week."

"Shh!" Rukia looked up at Nanao with wide eyes before looking around at the crowd around them nervously, trying to see if he was within earshot. "He doesn't know about that!"

"Ah, right. So what does he know?" Nanao asked cautiously. "Does he know about the family?"

"He knows I have a brother," Rukia said softly. "He knows we travel a lot, and he knows that Byakuya is controlling. That's it. And that's the way I want to keep it."

"Are you going to tell him everything else?"

"No. Maybe. I don't know," Rukia whined, looking up at Nanao, a pleading gaze in her eyes, asking for any help whatsoever in this department. "I don't know what I'm doing here at all. This is all so new to me."

"Don't worry too much about it Rukia." Nanao smiled and wrapped one around around Rukia's as they walked down the street, stopping at a cross walk. "When it comes to that point, everything will happen like it's supposed to."

"Yeah, I guess." Rukia looked down at the street for a moment. That's what she was worried of. What if it didn't happen the way she wanted? What if it didn't happen how she hoped and this all crashed and burned around her? She didn't want that, and Rukia didn't even know why she didn't want that. Was it true? Could she be falling for Ichigo? There was no way.

Rukia didn't know a lot about the situation she was in. All that she knew was that what she had right now made her happy, and she wanted to keep being happy for as long as she possibly could.

XXxxxXXXxxxXX

Ichigo twirled his keys around his finger as he walked back to his apartment building. It had been a good day, a very good day. He had gotten to see Rukia again, and confirm their date for tomorrow. And he had settled on a good place to take her too. The weather was beautiful, the sun was shining brightly in the sky and for once, Ichigo didn't curse it's brightness. Yes, it was indeed a very good day.

Stopping just at the edge of his apartment building, Ichigo saw someone that he recognized immediately. The man was tall and thin, a duffel bag thrown over his shoulder and his black hair flowing a bit in the loose breeze. He was dressed in all white and he had a finger running up the tenant listing on the front of the building, looking for someone in particular. Ichigo couldn't help the huge grin that came across his face as he walked up to the man.

"Oi, you looking for someone?" Ichigo shouted to the man, startling him a bit and making him turn to face whoever was yelling at him. The same grin pulled across the other man's lips when he saw Ichigo walking over to him.

"Yeah, I'm looking for a short tempered asshole with orange hair. I heard he lives here."

"That right? Well I haven't seen anyone like that, so I guess you gotta go look somewhere else." Ichigo stopped right in front of the man, the two having a stare down for a few moments before they burst out laughing and hugged each other tight.

"Fuck, it's good to see you Ishida."

"You too Kurosaki, it's been too long." Ishida pulled away from the embrace, grinning wide and looking Ichigo up and down. "You haven't been sleeping again."

"Nah, same shit, different day." Ichigo waved his hand dismissively, passing it off like he always had. "So what brings you back to town? Not your dad again?"

"No, I think he's given up on getting me to join him in the family practice." Ishida frowned a bit at the mention of his father. "Actually, I'm here because I need a place to stay for a while. I've got some business in town I need to take care of, and you're the first place I thought of."

"Well don't I feel special?" Ichigo smirked and turned to open the door to his building, twisting the key and pushing the door open for his friend. "You sure it's not your dad? Sounds an awful lot like it."

"No it's not my father." Ishida pushed his way past Ichigo into the lobby, the two making their way to the elevator. "I just had something come up and had to come back for a bit. I promise I'll stay out of your hair."

"Well you had better, I got a date tomorrow so you're going to have to find something to keep you busy while I'm out."

"Oh that right?" Ishida looked up at Ichigo with a smirk. "Ichigo Kurosaki, back on the dating scene? She must be special to get you back out after-"

"I thought we agreed to not bring her up again?" Ichigo looked down at his friend with a scowl, causing Ishida to laugh and raise a hand up in defence.

"Yeah, we did. Sorry. Still, this girl must be something if she can pull you out of your apartment."

"I don't know yet," Ichigo said softly, stepping out of the elevator with Ishida right behind him, the two walking down the hall to Ichigo's apartment. "Hopefully I'll find out after tomorrow."


	7. Bets are stupid

A/N: This one took a while to get out. I had to rewrite it a few times, and then in the process of writing it today, I ended up having delete portions and rewrite them. I wanted this one to be perfect. This is, ultimately, a story of Ichigo and Rukia, and this chapter is very important. It's important to their relationship, to where they're going to be in the future, and to what's going to happen. I found myself wanting to rush things with this one, and almost pushed out a half-assed chapter because of it. It's a little late to come out, but like I said. It needed to be perfect. Because everything that happens after this chapter is going to change up the story quite a bit. This is ultimately the beginning of the story.

Another note: Since this is an AU, I'm ignoring some canon. Shunsui and Nanao are not related because fuck that noise, and fuck Kubo.

* * *

Ichigo stared at himself in the mirror, running his fingers through his hair quickly. Glancing down at his phone to check the time, he took a quick, deep breath and mentally steeled himself for what was about to happen. It was only their second date, and yet Ichigo had begun to panic a bit. He was calm the first time, so why was it so much different now? Was it because this time he knew it was a date? Because it was official? That might have been it, but Ichigo couldn't shake the feeling that there was something else to this whole thing.

Taking another deep breath, Ichigo grabbed his phone and slid it into the front pocket of his jeans, turning to leave the bathroom and stepping into the living room. Ishida was lounged on the couch watching something on the TV, his duffel bag unzipped and a few clothes spilled out onto the floor. Sighing, Ichigo brushed past the couch and into his room to grab a coat, the same black one he had on during their first date.

Walking back into the living room, Ichigo glanced down at his temporary roommate and made his way to the front door, grabbing his keys from the table.

"Alright, I'm out. You still got the spare key?"

"I'll be fine Kurosaki," Ishida said, glancing up at his friend with a smirk. "Don't be so nervous, if she's as great as you told me yesterday, tonight'll be easy."

"I'm not nervous."

"Then why is your hand shaking?"

"Because I want to slap you for being a smart ass." Ichigo smirked over at his friend. "I'll be back in a few hours."

"Don't do anything crazy," Ishida said, changing his voice a little bit. The tone made Ichigo's body stiffen. Ishida was the only one who could do a spot on impression of Ichigo's old man. "After all, you might wind up giving me a grand kid, and that would be horrible!"

"I fuckin hate you."

XXxxxXXXxxxXX

Rukia bounced back and forth on the balls of her feet, knocking on the door a bit more loudly than she needed to. It was urgent though, she wanted to be early. She couldn't quite explain why she wanted to be early, she just knew that she did. And that led her here, pounding on Nanao's door, hoping that the other woman wasn't going to be so upset that she wouldn't help. But judging by the groan from behind the door, Rukia would have to play her cards just right.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Nanao's muffled voice came from behind the door. Slowly, it opened to reveal the bespectacled woman wearing nothing but a bed sheet, her normally neat hair messy and her eyes squinting a bit. "Rukia … do you know what time it is?"

"It's a little past five, and I need my lip gloss back."

"But did you have to pound on my door?" The door swung open a bit more as Nanao turned to walk further into the room. Rukia would have followed, but the last time she entered the room, she had been greeted to the sight of a rather naked Shunsui … and she was still trying to get the image out of her head. "Do you have any idea how much sleep I need to keep up with The Man of Flowers?"

Rukia stifled a laugh at the sound of a disgruntled groan coming from somewhere in the room. She was still bouncing from foot to foot, trying to keep her energy up. She was going to need it if she wanted to get there on time. Nanao took her sweet time rifling through one of her bags before finally standing up and making her way back to the door, handing the lip gloss over to the bouncing short woman.

"Jeeze Rukia, stop doing that. It's making me dizzy."

"Sorry, thank you, gotta go!" Rukia turned and ran off down the hallway and back up to her room. Stopping just in front of her mirror, Rukia gave herself a quick look over to make sure she was dressed alright for tonight. Jeans, sneakers, and a form fitting red t-shirt. It was perfect, and she had a feeling that Ichigo would like it too. Quickly applying her lip gloss, Rukia frowned a bit and stared down at the flavor that Nanao had given her. Strawberry.

She was going to kill Nanao for this.

XXxxxXXXxxxXX

Another glance at his phone told Ichigo all he needed to know. He was getting there a bit late. It was about five minutes past six, and he was just arriving at the golf land. In his mind, he was coming up with a story to tell Rukia in case she had been waiting for him for too long. After all, telling her that the bus ran late was a bit of a better excuse than 'I was nervous so I walked around my block a couple of times to calm down.' At least, in his head it was.

Finally showing up at the front of the golf land, Ichigo looked around and frowned when he didn't see Rukia there. He looked down at his phone again to check the time and make sure that it was right, when it went off in his hand. It was a message from her. In the back of his mind, Ichigo was worried that it would be her telling him off for making him wait. That she never wanted to see him again. Just a normal paranoia setting in.

Bracing himself for the worst, Ichigo took a deep breath and swiped across the screen, opening up his texts and seeing that it was just a single picture she had sent. A picture of him standing at the entrance of the golf land, looking utterly confused and lost. The phone buzzed in his hand again and a single line of text popped up.

 _Hide and seek. And you're it._

A smirk began to spread across Ichigo's face. Scrolling back up a bit, he looked at the photo a bit closer, trying to judge where it had been taken from the angle that he was shot at. Glancing up from his phone, his eyes wandered around the open area in front of the golf land, scanning anywhere that she could have been. Closing the picture, Ichigo sent back a text of his own, his fingers tapping away at the screen.

 _Why not just come out?_

Ichigo waited for a moment until his phone buzzed in his palm again. Looking down, he couldn't help the laugh that escaped him, his eyes darting up to look around again.

 _If you want this date so badly Strawberry, you better come find me. And right now, you're very cold._

Ichigo gave another quick glance at the picture she had sent before he took off through the crowd. He was moving at an even pace towards where he thought the picture had been taken from. Every few steps his phone would buzz with a message from her, letting her know if he was getting warmer or colder. Ichigo felt like he was playing a stupid game on his phone the way he was staring at it and glancing up every once in awhile. Every now and then when she'd say he was getting colder, he would stop in place, spin around in a circle, glance up and wander off in another direction. Luckily, he wasn't the only one doing it in the square.

It took a few minutes, but he finally caught sight of her. She was leaning against a wall, looking up to find him every now and then before looking down at her phone to send him another message. Waiting for just the right moment when she looked down, Ichigo slipped off into the crowd to hide from sight. He knew he was successful when his phone stopped going off. He had to hunch a bit to match the average height of the crowd, but it would be worth it.

Finally he was where he wanted to be. He had to move as quietly as he possibly could to sneak up behind her. Ichigo felt a bit weird doing this, but honestly, the payoff would be more than worth it. She was apparently completely clueless to the fact that he was stalking up behind her. In his mind, Ichigo put on a faux Australian accent and began to narrate what was happening.

 _Here we see the tall, orange headed male approaching the unsuspecting female. She has no idea that in just a few short moments, she'll be caught in his trap. He's goin in for the kill. And … WHAP! He's got 'er!_

Ichigo reached out quickly and grabbed onto Rukia by the waist, stepping up close and bringing his lips to her ear. His voice was a low whisper when he spoke to her, and he couldn't stop the grin that was spread across his face.

"I'd say I'm pretty damn hot right now."

Rukia stiffened in his grip, her body going completely rigid for just a moment before she relaxed at the sound of his voice, almost melting into his hands. A smirk ran across her lips as she tilted her head back to look at him over her shoulder, those violet eyes staring up at him. He could have sworn that they were glowing a bit in the night.

"Oh? And if you're hot, then what does that make me?"

"I'd say that makes you," Ichigo paused for a moment, staring down into her eyes. His thought completely derailed as he looked down at her, everything in his head coming to a crashing halt. His grip around her waist got a little bit tighter, not wanting to let her out of his hands. This was the first time he had ever really been this close to her, the first time he had ever really touched her or had her in his hands, and he never wanted her to leave. It was like a spell had been put on him, and suddenly all he could see was her. "Absolutely gorgeous."

Rukia blushed a bit and looked down and away from him, her hands coming to rest on top of his. When she looked away, Ichigo felt himself come back, shaking his head a bit and glancing around before his gaze fell to her again. His thoughts came back slowly, but there wasn't much he could think to say. He just stared down at her for a long moment in silence before she slowly pulled away from him, slipping out of his hands.

"We have some golf to play, Strawberry." Rukia said, taking one of his hands in her own, dragging him off towards the entrance of the golf land. Turning to look back a him, a smile on her face, she bounced a bit on her toes with each step she took. Ichigo had no choice but to follow, lacing his fingers into her own as he moved to stand beside her.

"I think you mean that you have a game of golf to lose, Short Cake," Ichigo said with a smirk, looking down at his date.

"Me? Lose?" Rukia scoffed and looked up at him with a smirk, those gorgeous eyes of herse peering straight up at Ichigo. "Not gonna happen."

"Look, you may be good at some things, but mini-golf is my thing." Ichigo grinned down at her, pointing to himself with a thumb. "Ichigo Kurosaki never loses."

"We'll see about that Strawberry." Rukia stopped, turning to look up at him with a huge grin. "How about we bet on it."

"Oh this'll be good." Ichigo smirked down at her. "So what should the bet be?"

"If I win, you can never call me midget ever again."

"And what if I win?"

"Well … what do you want if you win?" Rukia almost regretted asking that question the moment it came out of her lips. Whatever it was he wanted couldn't be good, and Rukia was now worried that he would demand something she wasn't ready to give.

"I want a kiss." Rukia blinked up at him. Ichigo was grinning down at her, one hand coming up to cup her cheek in his palm, keeping her gaze up on him. "And not a little peck on the cheek. I want a real kiss."

Rukia blushed and looked off to the side. She was quiet for a long few moments and Ichigo had wondered if he had pushed her too far. He was about to take it back when she looked up at him with a steel determination in her eyes and nodded.

"You've got a deal Strawberry. But you're not going to win."

"We'll see about that."

XXxxxXXXxxxXX

Ichigo stared down at the score sheet in disbelief. Three strokes. She won by three strokes. Why was it that every date he had with her never went in his favor. First it was fourteen stores and he hadn't bought her a single dress, and now he wasn't going to be getting that kiss from her. And now he wasn't allowed to taunt her about her height any more, the only real thing he could hold over her. Pun intended.

Rukia however looked positively delighted. She hadn't stopped cackling since the game had ended, waving the score card in his face repeatedly to show off her victory. Damn the midget, why had he even agreed to this in the first place? Oh right, fun. And even though he had lost, Ichigo had definitely had fun. They talked more, about their lives, about what had happened in the week since they last met. She told him about the girl who he saw her with the day before, and about her uncles who were in town to visit. Ichigo told her about his best friend who came to visit. Rukia commented on how strange it was, but Ichigo didn't give it much thought.

Ichigo found himself easily slipping into a conversation with her, getting distracted. Whenever she looked at him, whenever their eyes met, he just got lost. All of his thoughts just came to a halt and he couldn't even form proper words. He just stared, and at one point during the night, he was worried she was going to think he was creepy, but every time she caught him staring, she just blushed and looked away from him and back to the game. She hadn't made any comments on it, so Ichigo just guessed that he didn't creep her out. Or at least he hoped he hadn't.

Something about tonight was different. Something about her. Their first date together, he hadn't ever stared at her like this. But tonight it was like she was commanding his attention. And he was more than happy to give it to her.

"So, where do you want to go to eat?"

Her voice shook him out of his thoughts and he glanced down at her, scowling still from losing the bet. She was just staring up at him with the shit eating grin that she had on her face ever since the final tally had come back. He wanted to wipe the look off of her face, but he just couldn't. He would honor the bet.

"I don't feel like sitting down."

"Neither do I, honestly." Rukia raised up a hand to rub her chin in thought, staring down at the ground. Ichigo just watched her. What was it about her tonight that made her so much more beautiful? It was going to drive him insane all night.

"You know, I think there's a quick place around here somewhere." Ichigo looked away from Rukia for what felt like the first time of the night and started scanning the crowd. Taking her hand in his own, he pointed off to the other end of the square. "This way, come with me."

Rukia had no choice but to follow him, her hand grasping his firmly as she moved at a quick jog behind him.

 _Stupid tall people with their stupid long legs. Needs to slow down before I go flying!_

Rukia's hand tightened around Ichigo's as she jogged along side him, shooting glares up at the side of his head every once in awhile, trying to send him quiet signals that he needed to slow down. Apparently though, all the glaring in the world wasn't getting the message across since he wasn't slowing down. Rukia grumbled a bit under her breath but let him lead the way.

They walked through the crowd and out of the square, making their way down the street quickly. Ichigo pulled his phone out of his pocket to check the time. It was only nine-thirty. They still had some time to get to where he wanted to go. Sliding his phone back into his pocket, Ichigo tightened his grip on Rukia's hand and picked up the pace. The short woman behind him protested, but Ichigo didn't listen, finally able to turn the table a bit on his date.

"Hey, slow down you ass! I'm going to trip!"

"Either you keep moving, Short Cake, or I'll carry you."

"Well then I guess your big ass is gonna have to carry me!" Rukia huffed. Ichigo came to an abrupt stop and Rukia nearly crashed into his back. "That's more like i- Hey, what are you doing?! Put me down!"

Ichigo quickly spun around and wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her up and tossing her over his shoulder. Rukia let out a squeak and pounded on his back a bit, her legs flailing by the side of his face as he carried her off down the street.

"What the fuck are you doing, you oaf?!"

"Shut up, you were slowing me down!" Ichigo smirked and turned his head to the side, getting a wonderful view of her rear before turning to look away, a blush on his face. He had to clear his throat and focus on the path ahead of him to keep from tripping and taking them both down to the floor.

"I swear to God when you put me down, I'm going to kick you in the shin so hard…"

"Well it's a good thing that my shin is the only thing you can reach Short Cake!"

"That's it! THREE KICKS!" Rukia went still to keep him from dropping her, but she still didn't like the fact that she had been so unceremoniously thrown over his shoulder. She felt like a kidnapping victim, and from the looks the two were getting as Ichigo made his way past the crowd, a lot of people were beginning to wonder if maybe she actually was.

She wasn't held up for very long before Ichigo finally came to a halt and set her down. She went to kick him like she had promised, but as she raised her leg, Ichigo grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around. Her leg had been half cocked back when she saw the place he had stopped at, and her eyes went wide.

"Welcome, to Kotetsu Drive-In!" Ichigo smirked a bit and reached down to take Rukia's hand in his own. "Best food in Karakura."

"How long has this been here?" Rukia looked up at the huge building in front of her and wandered forward, holding Ichigo's hand tightly. Neon lights were everywhere, making the drive-in more like a diner than anything. A flashing sign over the open counter in the front went off every now and then, blaring out the name brightly for anyone to see. Cars filled every stall, and employees bustled about delivering food and taking orders. A few people sat on some of the benches outside, happily talking and laughing. Rukia felt like she had stepped into a completely different city.

"Not long. Kiyone, the girl who owns the place, opened it up a few months ago," Ichigo moved towards the open counter, smirking down at Rukia. "Best food in town, honestly. And for a good price."

"Jeeze it smells so good." Rukia took a deep breath, inhaling the scents of the kitchen hidden away inside of the building, a smile tugging at her lips. Ichigo nodded, laughing a bit at the comment and looking up at the menu. Truth be told, Ichigo had never been here before, he had passed by it several times on his route but there had never been a reason to stop by. But now, with this short girl attached to his hand, he had the perfect reason.

"So, what do you want Short Cake? Meal is on me."

"Hmm … the hotdog with the side of chili fries looks good." Rukia looked up at Ichigo who was laughing a bit. Rukia frowned up at him and swung a kick to his shin, making him jump in pain. "Don't laugh at me, you ass. I'm hungry!"

"I can tell." Ichigo reached down and rubbed his shin, shooting a glare at her before holding up one of his fingers. "That's one, by the way."

"One what?"

"One kick."

"What are you on about?"

"You said you were going to kick my shin three times." Ichigo smirked down at her before stepping up to the counter. "You get two more."

"I'll make sure to use them wisely." Rukia smirked up at him, turning to look at the person behind the counter and placing her order. Once she was done, Ichigo ordered his food. A simple burger without tomato or onion. The two took a slip and went to sit down at a table, Rukia sitting down next to Ichigo and resting her head on his shoulder.

"You know, tonight was fun. Even though I lost." Rukia looked up at him and chuckled, nodding a bit and taking his hand in her own, resting it on her thigh.

"Yeah, it was fun. Though you don't get a kiss tonight." Rukia teased, smirking up at him. Ichigo grinned and squeezed her hand gently.

"That's the only downside of the night."

The two sat in silence for a few moments before their order was called. Ichigo stood up and went to grab their food. Taking the bag from the cashier after paying, Ichigo turned to see Rukia staring off into the distance, a strange look on her face. Frowning a bit, Ichigo walked over to their table and slid back down next to her, resting his hand on her shoulder. Rukia jumped a bit but turned to look back at him, the strange look fading to a soft smile as she slid over her hot dog.

"You okay?" Ichigo's voice was filled with concern. Rukia looked up at him, mouth full of chili fries, and nodded slowly. He couldn't help the laugh that came out of him at the appearance. Rukia shot a glare at him before swallowing her food and taking a deep breath.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just thought I saw someone I knew." Rukia looked off into the distance again for a few more moments. She thought she had seen Renji lurking against one of the buildings, watching. She knew it wasn't on her brother's orders, since Byakuya had personally approved of the date tonight, even if it wasn't with the person. So if it was Renji, he was out on his own. And if he was out on his own, Rukia was going to be even more upset if this night got ruined.

"You sure it's okay?" Ichigo's voice broke her out of her thoughts and she turned back to him with a smile, nodding.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's just enjoy our dinner." Rukia motioned towards Ichigo's meal, waving her hand at him. "Eat, eat. I'm sure you're starving too."

"Alright, jeeze. I'm eating." Ichigo looked down at the short girl as she shoveled a hot dog into her mouth and he couldn't stop smiling at her. All that dignity and grace that she walked with and that she said her brother had forced onto her, none of it was in the hungry midget in front of him. In fact, as Ichigo watched her stuff her face, he thought she was the most adorable woman in the world.

XXxxxXXXxxxXX

It was getting close to midnight, and two had decided to walk to Rukia's house to burn off whatever it was that they had just ate. The short woman led the way, hand in hand with Ichigo, smiling wide the whole time. They talked the whole time. About everything and anything. From where they wanted to travel to in the world, to what they wanted to do in the future. Ichigo mostly talked about his dreams and aspirations. Rukia listened. She talked about places she wanted to visit, things she wanted to do while she was there. How she wished she could get out of her brother's hold.

They walked for a while before finally stopping outside of her house. Ichigo turned to look at the three story building, his eyes going a bit wide before turning back to the shorter woman who was staring at the ground, more than a little embarrassed.

"So … your house is kind of big." It was honestly all Ichigo could think of to say at the moment. Rukia chuckled softly and nodded before looking up at him. Taking both of his hands in her own. Ichigo just stared down at her, mesmerized by her features. What was it about her tonight?! He couldn't figure it out, and truth be told, he honestly didn't care too much. He just wanted to lose himself here, with her. Forever. Shaking his head, Ichigo tried to snap out of those thoughts, they were beginning to weird him out.

"Yeah. I'd invite you inside but…" Rukia trailed off for a moment and Ichigo nodded. He understood, it was late, she had guests, and her brother was an asshole. Ichigo wasn't going to push the issue right now.

"I understand." They stood there on the sidewalk for a long moment in silence, neither of them really wanting to leave the other. Rukia shuffled between her feet for a few moments before she started to pull away from Ichigo.

"Text me," She said, a smile on her face. "Let me know when we can meet again."

Ichigo was about to nod when he reached out and grabbed her by the wrist, stopping her. Rukia froze in his grip and turned to face him. Slowly, he stepped towards her and reached one hand up, cupping her cheek and tilting her gaze up to look at him.

"What are y-" Rukia was cut off a Ichigo leaned down and kissed her. Rukia gasped a bit against his lips, one hand reaching out to rest on his chest. Her body stiffened for a moment before she pulled away from him slowly.

"What are you doing?" She asked, her voice soft and breathy. Ichigo rested his forehead against hers, smirking a bit. When he spoke, his voice was just as soft as hers.

"Taking my part of the bet."

"But you lost."

"I don't care." Ichigo leaned in again and kissed her, harder this time. And this time, Rukia didn't stiffen. This time, she melted into him, her hands resting on his chest and her lips molding to his own. Fireworks shot off in her mind and any thought that she had before his kiss was completely gone. Scooting forward on her feet, Rukia pressed her body up against Ichigo's, her lips parting and her tongue darting out to search for his, and Ichigo was more than happy to meet her.

The two stood on the sidewalk for a few long minutes, bodies pressed together and tongues wrestling each other before finally, they parted. Ichigo was breathing heavily, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. Rukia's eyes were closed and her head fell forward, resting against his chest. Her breathing was even, but a wide smile was on her face. It took a minute, but finally there were coherent thoughts filling her mind, but those thoughts usually consisted of three words that just kept screaming in her head again and again.

 _OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD_

"So, I guess I should let you get inside now." Ichigo's voice broke the silence. Rukia nodded a bit against his chest, her fingers curling into his shirt. She couldn't exactly formulate any sentence right now, and instead was clinging to him for dear life. Her knees felt weak and she wasn't entirely confident that she could walk away safely without falling down on the walk way.

"Will you text me, Strawberry?" Her voice was soft, and hopeful. Ichigo was silent for a moment before nodding, his arms wrapping around her tiny frame to keep her held close. He didn't want her to go away either, but he knew that they couldn't very well stand here like this all night long. That'd be weird.

"Yeah, I promise."

"Good." Rukia slowly stepped back, reluctantly pulling herself away from his arms and backing up towards the front door to her home. Ichigo stood and watched her go, a soft smile on his face. His eyes were on her the whole time as she made her way up the steps. "I'll see you again soon Strawberry."

The door opened and closed and she was gone. Ichigo stood there for a few moments longer before he turned and started walking away. Reaching up his hand, his fingers brushed across his lips. He could taste her lip gloss and it made him grin.

She wore strawberries for him.

XXxxxXXXxxxXX

Rukia pressed herself up against the door for support, leaning against the solid surface and taking a deep breath. He kissed her. She wasn't expecting it, and yet it was the best part of the night. Rukia's fingers curled into the door and she couldn't stop the stupid smile that was spreading across her face. She could still feel his body against hers, his lips on hers. She could feel him. It was almost intoxicating. She needed more.

"So, looks like you two had fun."

Rukia's eyes went wide and slowly, she turned around to see Nanao, Shunsui and Ukitake all standing there staring at her, each with a knowing grin on their faces. Nanao had her arms crossed at her chest. It was her voice that broke Rukia out of her thoughts and made her aware of the little welcome party waiting for her.

"How long were you watching?"

"Long enough to see you stumble back into the house." Nanao said with a grin. Shunsui rushed past her and over to Rukia with wide arms, sweeping her up into a tight hug and spinning her around, laughing loudly.

"Oh I am so happy for your Rukia!"

"Shunsui, put the poor girl down." Ukitake stepped forward to place a hand on his friend's shoulder. Shunsui let her down and Rukia had to lean back against the door again to get her balance, the smile still wide on her face.

"So when do you see him again?" Nanao asked, stepping forward and brushing past the two men, resting her hands on Rukia's shoulders and guiding her upstairs. Shunsui was about to protest before Nanao shot him a glare to keep him quiet. "It's time for the girls to talk."

"But my darling Nanao…!"

"Girl. Talk." It was all she said as she pushed Rukia upstairs to her room. The short woman was still recovering a bit that by the time she came to her senses, she was sitting in a chair at her makeup station and Nanao was sitting on her bed. That smile was still on her face.

"Tell me everything." Nanao said. Rukia paused for a moment before smiling wide. She knew exactly what to say, the best description for the night. Especially for their kiss.

"Perfection."


	8. Old Friends, New Threats

A/N: So this is kind of where it all begins. It's not my best chapter, not by a long shot. Neither was the last one really, but after this, things are going to start getting ... stranger. And a lot more clear. This is the true beginning of the story, and I hope you all enjoy the set up to what will be, possibly, my favorite next couple of chapters. Strap yourselves in, because we're just getting to the top of the roller coaster.

* * *

Kisuke looked up from the table he was sitting at and frowned. There had been a knock at the door to his underground workshop, and he knew exactly what that meant. They had finally begun to arrive. Making his way to the back door, Kisuke looked through the peephole, his frown deepening. So, they had sent _him_ first. In the back of his mind, Kisuke wondered if they knew exactly what they were doing.

Slowly opening the door, Kisuke stepped back and motioned for the other person to come in, looking around the back alley quickly to make sure no one had seen or followed, before sliding the heavy metal door shut. When he turned around, the other man was already running his hands over some of the new 'inventions' that Kisuke had been working on.

"So, they sent you to lead the charge, Archer?"

The man tensed at the codename before turning to face Kisuke, scowling. Kisuke wasn't afraid of the young man, even though he knew exactly what he could do. The Archer would never lay a hand on him, not out of fear or need, but out of respect.

"I'm the most familiar with the area. Why wouldn't they send me ahead, Builder?"

"Are you staying at the usual place?"

"Yes."

"And how is he doing?"

"Better than I've ever seen him." The Archer turned, looking around the workshop before making his way over to the specialty made bows, his fingers running along the curve of the weapons, checking how taut the strings were, even checking the arrows themselves for top quality. "It's surprising, to be honest."

"Then I suppose you should be the first to know." Kisuke stepped up beside the young man, leaning on the table. Kisuke readied himself mentally for what was about to happen. If he knew The Archer, and especially his feelings on the current subject, this was going to be a larger conflict than it already was. "The girl he's with … she's the one who I called about."

The Archer froze, his entire body going stiff. Slowly, one of his outstretched arms fell to his side, his hand curling into a fist. When he spoke, his voice was cold, bordering on a rage that Kisuke had only ever seen a few times in the young man's life.

"She's one of them?"

"Yes." Kisuke said as evenly as possible. "And, it seems, the reason our mutual friend sleeps soundly at night."

"That doesn't mean anything," The Archer said, his voice nearing a growl. Kisuke could see the conflict in the man's face, the same conflict that Kisuke had been feeling for the past week. "She could be influencing him!"

"Ishida, I-"

"DON'T SAY MY NAME!" The Archer turned and swatted away the hand that Kisuke had reached out towards him, a fury in his eyes that made the older man want to shrink away. "That's … that's not who I am when I'm down here."

"It doesn't matter who you think you are when you are in my workshop," Kisuke's tone changed, his entire demeanor shifting to the one that he tried to keep hidden from everyone else. An authoritarian feeling came over the room as Kisuke spoke, his tone harsh and cutting. "You are still Uryuu Ishida, the boy I've known for as long as I've known Ichigo. You two grew up together. He is the closest thing to a brother you have.

"When I first called in, I didn't expect this. But now … now I'm not sure if this is still the right thing to do." Kisuke paused for a moment, his lips curling into a soft smile. "I mean, for fucks sake … he's sleeping, and he's been eating. I haven't seem him smile this much in years. Maybe she's doing good for him."

"Or she's influencing him." Ishida took a deep breath, raising a hand up to push his glasses up onto his face a bit further. "But I can't deny … he seems happy."

"Yes, he does."

"So what do you suggest we do?" Ishida looked at Kisuke with a bit of hope in his eyes, but not for their friend. He was hoping that Kisuke had some sort of answer to their dilemma.

"We observe. We report. If we can prove that she has done anything to him, then we strike." Kisuke sounded so sure of his words that he even partially convinced himself, but still, there was a nagging doubt in the back of his mind. Something about this was off. Something he wasn't seeing. It made him worry.

"I'll come to you first with anything," Ishida said after a long moment, his eyes narrowed. "We're too emotionally involved in this, but that doesn't mean we can't do what's right for him, if she is doing something."

"Agreed. We're in the best position to act."

"I'll keep a close eye on him, but we need to stay in contact. He can't know anything."

"Please, he hasn't suspected a thing since you first joined the ranks. He won't catch on now." Kisuke waved his hand in dismissal, his playful facade coming back almost as easily as breathing. Ishida sighed before stepping away from the bows on the workshop table, making his way to the back door.

"The Jaguar is next to come to town. He'll be here first to collect his 'toys'," Ishida said as he made his way to the door, scowling at the thought of his comrade. Kisuke nodded slowly, reaching into his pocket for his fan and slapping it against his hand.

"I'm going to be busy anyway. The Scientist is in town, and the order he requested months back is finally readied for him." Ishida shivered just thinking of The Scientist.

"I hate that man," He said softly, resting his hand on the handle to the large metal door leading to the back alley. Kisuke smirked and brought his fan up to his face, covering the cheeky look on his face.

"But his daughter isn't too bad looking, you know."

Ishida froze again, recognizing the tone in the other man's voice and slowly turned, raising a hand up to point at Kisuke.

"Try to set me up, and you'll be the first person I try out my new bow on."

"I never took you for the cupid type, but I suppose it fits. You are The Archer." Kisuke said, fanning himself slowly with easy movements of the wrist. Ishida narrowed his eyes, not able to think of a good comeback and instead opening the door to the workshop and exiting out into the back alley, shutting the door behind him. Only one thought was on both men's minds now as they went about the rest of their night, the one thought that they knew they could only keep to themselves.

 _What the fuck am I going to to do now?_

XXxxxXXXxxxXX

"It's fine."

"No, it's not fine, your collar isn't straight."

"Well if you had let me wear what I wanted to wear, there wouldn't _be_ an issue with my collar, would there?"

"Is it my fault I want you to look presentable?"

"No, but it will be your fault if we're late."

"Calm down Shiro, we'll get there on time."

To anyone who didn't recognize them, the two people bickering as they walked down street looked like nothing more than brother and sister, but it would make you wonder what kind of family they could come from.

She was tall, with long blonde hair down to her waist, and a figure that was seemingly made to turn heads. And she flaunted it, with a low cut top and a short skirt that swayed around her thighs with each step. She was smiling wide, and even that smile just seemed so seductive that it could melt the heart of any man, or woman, who looked at her.

And in complete contrast to her was a young man, who couldn't possibly be any older than his mid-teens, walking right beside her, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a duffel bag over his shoulder, and a scowl seemingly glued to his face. Where she was dressed to kill, he was dressed to blend. A black collared t-shirt and a pair of baggy jeans seemed to tell the world his style, and his lack of care for attention. The woman had just straightened his collar a bit as they rounded the corner of the street that they had been looking for, making him shoot another glare up at her.

"I said leave it alone. I'll fix it myself."

"No you won't," she said easily, smirking down at him a bit. "You'll act like it's the new cool thing because you'll be too stubborn to fix it."

"You're lucky I like you," The young man mumbled, still glaring up at the taller woman. She just giggled a bit at his words and ruffled his already messy white hair a bit.

"Aww, I like you too Shiro."

The two continued to walk in silence for a few moments before stopping in front of the house they had been looking for. Without pausing, the two wandered up the front walkway of the large, three story house. They weren't expected, or even really invited, but there wasn't anything that the people who owned the house could do to stop them from visiting.

Stopping at the door, the young man pulled out a pair of keys from his pocket and went through the ring slowly before finding what he was looking for and unlocking the front door, easily pushing it open. He was about to take a step inside when he noticed some of the suitcases piled up in the hallway, and the rather flamboyant, bright colored flowers all over them. He stopped dead in his tracks and his eyes went wide with fear. His companion, however, looked absolutely thrilled.

"Well, it looks like they already have company," the young man said, turning and grabbing the woman by the wrist, slowly trying to tug her away from the door. "It'd be rude to impose on them now."

"Nonsense, Shiro! They have more than enough room here for us to stay." She pulled against the tugging, dragging him in through the front door, ignoring his groans of protest.

"Well then we can at least find a nice hotel or something to stay in for a while," Shiro complained, letting himself be dragged back into the house.

"No, you wanted to come see your family. You don't get to whine when the crazy uncles show up. Besides, I haven't seen Nan in forever, and you don't want to deprive me of my best friend do you?" Shiro looked up at the woman, who was now giving him her best pouty face, and after a few moments of staring he finally relented with a deep breath.

"Fine, we'll stay."

"Yay! Thank you so much Shiro!" She leaned down and hugged him tight, his face being squished into her chest, making his arms flail around, his duffel bag falling to the ground with a loud thud. Thankfully, a voice echoed down the hall just in time to save the poor kid.

"Ran, is that you?" Nanao peeked around the corner, holding a robe tight around her small frame. The robe was bright yellow, with little roses painted across it, and it looked comical on the bespectacled woman.

Shiro was almost shoved to the ground as the woman who had him in a stranglehold turned to face her longtime friend, the two locking eyes before both of them broke out into huge, beaming smiles.

"What are you doing here?!" Nanao's voice was a bit hushed as she walked into the hallway, the two sharing a quick hug. "I was going to come see you next month!"

"Well you know Shiro, he likes to wander around and visit the family." Rangiku Matsumoto pulled away from the hug she shared with her friend, smiling wide down at the shorter woman. "I'm so glad you're here! When did you get back from Russia?"

"A couple of weeks ago. We just got here." Nanao looked past her friend as Toshiro Hitsugaya stood up and brushed his jeans off with his hands, huffing loudly. "And I know Big Shiro will be happy to see you two."

"Oh God.." Toshiro's eyes went wide and he quickly looked around. "He's not awake is he?"

"No, he's upstairs sleeping." Nanao motioned for the two to make themselves comfortable in the living room as she stepped forward and closed the front door, joining the newest arrivals after a few moments. "And I've got fun news for you Ran."

"Oo, gossip?! I love it!" Matsumoto leaned forward a bit on her seat, smiling wide as Nanao sat down at a chair across from her. "Tell me everything."

"Rukia met someone."

"No! You mean other than the walking pineapple of anger?!"

"Yep, and she seems to be crazy about him."

"What's his name?! What's he like?! Is he cute?!" Matsumoto wiggled her eyebrows a bit before yelping at the sudden elbow from Toshiro, the young man glaring up at her. She smirked down at him, narrowing her eyes a bit. "Getting jealous, Shiro?"

"Why would I be? You're perfectly fine to look at whomever you like." Toshiro crossed his arms at his chest and stared out into the hallway. Matsumoto laughed a bit at his reaction and ruffled his hair before turning back to her old friend.

"Tell me everything. I'm dying to hear about this."

"Well, his name is Ichigo-"

"So she went from a Pineapple to a Strawberry?" Matsumoto couldn't help but laugh at that. "Girl needs to get away from fruits."

"You can tell her that when she wakes up. Her brother wasn't too happy about how late she got home last night," Nanao said with a sigh, shaking her head a bit. Toshiro turned his gaze to Nanao at the mention of the elder Kuchiki, his eyes lighting up with a bit of hope.

"Do you know where he is right now? I should probably go and announce myself."

"He's in the study, I think Renji is in there with him." Toshiro nodded and excused himself from the conversation, walking into the hallway to find out where Byakuya's study was, leaving the two old friends to catch up.

XXxxxXXXxxxXX

"I don't know how you can let her be with that man!" Renji was pacing angrily back and forth while Byakuya had his head down in his hands, rubbing his temples with his fingertips in slow circles. The redhead had been ranting like this all night, and Byakuya was beginning to get tired, but this wasn't a conversation he could easily get away from. The elder Kuchiki was beginning to get a headache from the angry ranting, and the frantic pacing wasn't helping his head much either. Glancing at the clock, Byakuya realized it had been quite some time since he had really enjoyed a meal, another possible factor to his sour mood at the moment.

"I don't understand what game you are playing here, Byakuya," Renji growled out, spinning to face the elder Kuchiki, his eyes narrowed into a glare. "But this is getting out of hand. She's going to wind up getting herself hurt, or worse. And what happens if she slips when she's out there, and exposes herself, and by extension, all of us?!"

"She won't." Byakuya tried to keep his voice even, but it was early in the morning and he had been up all night listening to this, and there was only so much patience he had left in him. Renji opened his mouth to start again when Byakuya lifted his hand to silence the other man, his head raising and his eyes narrowed into a glare. "I let her do this as a lesson."

There was silence for a long moment before Renji spoke, his voice as calm as it could be, but the hint of anger still lingering just on the edge.

"What lesson?"

"That she can never be with him." Byakuya sighed, leaning back in his seat and resting his hands on his desk. Now was the time when he had to sell the greatest act he could ever produce. He had to convince even himself that he meant what he was about to say. "I'll let her run around with him, do whatever she likes, live her life the way she wants for now. But there will come a time when the realization hits. That they cannot be together. That she cannot be with him without risking his life. And when that happens, she will do her duty."

Another long moment of silence. Byakuya knew it had worked when Renji's face softened and the anger went away. Even he was beginning to believe his own act.

 _I have to keep this family together. No matter what._

"Fine. But if he steps out of line, I won't hesitate to step in."

"You do that, and it won't be my hand you have to fear." There was the cold Kuchiki tone that he had mastered so well, Byakuya's deep, violet eyes glaring daggers at the redheaded man across from him. They both know that if Renji stepped one foot out of line, it would be Rukia that would end him.

The two glared at each other for a long moment before a knock came on the door his study. Byakuya stood and made his way out from behind his desk.

"We will talk about this later," was all he said. Renji was about to speak up when another glare silenced the words in his throat. Byakuya knew just how to keep the young man quiet, but sometimes, his ego got a bit too large for anyone's liking.

Readying himself for one of the many people in his home, but mostly Shunsui, Byakuya straightened himself and prepared for whatever was on the other side of the door. But when he opened it and was not met eye to eye with someone, the internal panic alarm went off, thinking it would be Yachiru, but wholly unprepared for the young man standing in the doorway. Byakuya's eyes went wide and he stepped back from the door, bowing his head in respect to the young man.

"Sir, we weren't expecting you. Please, come in."

"Don't call me that. Just Toshiro." The white haired young man stepped in and looked around at the impressive study, whistling softly at the collection of books before his eyes fell on Renji. "I see you're still hanging onto coat tails."

Renji wanted to say something, the burning look in his eyes said it all, but he stayed his tongue. He knew what the consequence would be for speaking back to Toshiro.

"When did you arrive?" Byakuya closed the door behind him and moved to stand in front of the young man, offering him a seat in front of his desk.

"Last week," Toshiro spoke evenly, waving his hand a bit to dismiss the offer of the seat. "Matsumoto and I wandered around the city for a bit. She wanted to see some of the sights."

"I see. Welcome then, and I offer you my home for as long as you need." Byakuya bowed his head again slightly, making Toshiro scoff at the action.

"Stop doing that. I'm nothing special when I'm here. Just a guest."

"As you say." Byakuya looked to Renji and had to hold back the smirk that he wanted so desperately to wear. "Renji, please show our guests to their rooms."

Renji nodded tightly, his body completely stiff. He knew when he was being dismissed, and this was just a slight insult to his ego. As Toshiro turned to leave the room, thanking Byakuya for his hospitality, Renji shot a glare at the elder Kuchiki and spoke in a low, threatening tone.

"Let's see how well this lesson goes with _him_ here."

"Not as badly as you hope." Byakuya replied. "Shut the door on your way out."


	9. The problems with fruit

A/N: It's a bit short. Really short, to be honest with you, and not my best, but I needed to put a new one up. I'm not abandoning this story, and I'm not stopping until it's done. There's been a lot of things going on in my personal life that have kept me from putting any sort of really good effort into the story, but I'm making myself change that. This needs to be finished. And dammit, I'm going to finish it. Thank you all so much for reviewing, and sticking with me.

* * *

Rukia was going to kill someone. She didn't know who, but what she did know was that today, someone in her house would die. It had been nonstop for close to four hours, the constant talking, the laughing, the glasses clinking, punctuated by loud bouts of laughter every now and then. She didn't know who the voices belonged to, her mind was in far too much of a fog to really place the people that were having such a merry time downstairs, but she knew one thing: They were annoying.

Rolling over in her bed, Rukia decided that she just wasn't meant to get any sleep tonight, and figured that now was as good a time as any to see just what all the commotion was about. Glancing at the clock, Rukia let out another groan. It was almost nine in the morning, and with how late she got in last night, and having to come down from the adrenaline rush of her date, Rukia got maybe three hours of sleep.

Grabbing a robe from her closet, Rukia threw open her door angrily and began to stomp down the stairs, muttering to herself under her breath the whole way. She was about to start shouting when she saw the group that had assembled in the kitchen, Rukia immediately understand just why there was so much noise. Shunsui and Nanao were awake and entertaining their newest guests, Yachiru was running around Matsumoto's ankles and chirping excitedly while Ukitake was rummaging through a bag that he had placed on a counter. And there, on a stool, looking rather upset by the whole ordeal, was Toshiro, his arms crossed at his chest while he glared at the counter top.

"I've already told you Jushiro, I don't need any presents! I am not a child!"

"Nonsense. Just because you've grown a few inches, doesn't mean you can't enjoy childhood."

"You know damn well what I mean."

"Still, you're never too old to enjoy a good time. Ah-hah!" Jushiro turned around with a smile, holding out something to the younger man. "I found these just for you, since I know you like watermelons."

Toshiro's eyes went wide and he sat up in his seat slowly, reaching out towards the older man and taking the offering from the older man and looking it over slowly. It was a large bag of candy, watermelons plastered all over the front of the packaging, and written in something Rukia couldn't quite read from the distance, though she knew it was a different language. Toshiro spun the bag around in his hand slowly, a light glinting behind his gaze showing that he was far more excited than he wanted to show, before clearing his throat and leaning back in his seat, setting the bag down on his lap.

"Well .. I guess just this once I can take the gift."

"That's the spirit!"

"Uki-uki!" Yachiru ran up to Jushiro, grabbing onto his shirt and tugging, an over exaggerated frown on her face as she glared up at the older man, the grip on his shirt like a vice. "Where's my present!?"

"I never forget about you, Yachiru." Jushiro ruffled her hair a bit and turned back to his bag, rifling through it a bit before finally finding what it was he was looking for and crouching down in front of her and holding out a shrunken head. Rukia's eyes went a bit wide at the sight, but Yachiru just squealed and took it from Ukitake, hugging it close.

"It's so cute!"

"I thought you'd like it. Do you want to go show Kenpachi?"

"Uh-huh!" Yachiru nodded eagerly before spinning on the ball of her foot and running out of the kitchen at full speed, brushing past Rukia with a small wave before disappearing up the stairs to the bedroom she shared with her father. Rukia couldn't help but laugh at the sight, she always did like the weirder things in life, perhaps that's what made her such a good balance to Kenpachi.

Slowly, Rukia stepped into the room, hugging her robe tight around her body. Nanao, Shunsui and Matsumoto were deep in conversation, laughing loudly, the source of Rukia's early morning stress, Shunsui and Matsumoto already sharing a few glasses of whatever alcoholic beverage was the choice of the day while Nanao sneakily managed to dilute the contents of the bottle when they weren't looking, doing her best from keeping the two from getting completely drunk so early in the day.

"So I have you two to thank for waking me up." Rukia slid down onto a seat across from Nanao, the three people already at the table turning to face the new addition with smiles. "You're lucky I like you all, I was about to murder someone for keeping me from my beauty sleep."

"Oh honey, you don't need sleep to look beautiful." Matsumoto reached over and gave Rukia a quick hug, the shorter woman returning the embrace with a smile. "Besides, I hear congratulations are in order."

"Congratulations?" Rukia looked between the two women at the table, raising an eyebrow in a silent question, Nanao just smirking. It was that smirk that gave it all away, Rukia knew the look well. "You told her."

"Of course I did. You really expect me to not tell her everything that happens? You know her better than that."

"What did you tell her exactly."

"Oh please," Matsumoto shared in Nanao's smirk, taking a sip from her glass and meeting Rukia's gaze. "She told me everything. And I have been dying to tease you."

"Tease me? For what?!" Rukia's eyes were wide. "I haven't done anything!"

"Rukia, you went from a Pineapple to a Strawberry. If this one falls through what are you going to do next? Find a grapefruit?"

Rukia was silent for a moment, glaring at Matsumoto, her hand sliding across the table looking for something to throw at the older woman.

"You know I got enough teasing from Nanao last night." Rukia turned her glare to her other friend now, "Thanks for the lip gloss by the way."

"I figured it appropriate." Nanao waved her hand dismissively, leaning back in her seat a bit.

"What did you do to the poor girl Nan?" Rangiku leaned towards her friend, smirking wide. "You left this bit out."

"Oh really? You didn't tell her?" Rukia turned her gaze back to Matsumoto now, her voice going a bit icy. "She gave me strawberry flavored lip gloss."

"I swear it wasn't on purpose!" Nanao shot her hands up to protect herself from the glare that Rukia shot her way.

"Oh sure it wasn't." Raising up her hand, Rukia pointed a finger across the table at her friend. "I know how you think."

"You're the one obsessed with fruit!"

"Two people does not make me 'obsessed'!"

"It makes you something." Nanao muttered under her breath. If Rukia had anything to throw at her, she would. Matsumoto, meanwhile, was laughing at two while Shunsui sneakily poured himself more alcohol into his glass.

"So when do you see him next?" Rangiku's voice broke Rukia from her angry glare, turning to look at the other woman and taking a deep breath.

"I don't know … I was too busy trying to not fall over coming into the house that we didn't really talk about date number three."

"Well we've got to set up a date number three." Matsumoto nodded, filling up her glass until the bottle she was pouring from was empty. She shot Nanao a quick glare, making the bespectacled woman smirk with pride, before turning her attention back to Rukia. "And I want to meet him."

"We all do." Shunsui said with a grin, taking a sip of his drink. "I want to meet the man who stole the heart of my lovely niece."

"I haven't even met _his_ family yet. Let me get through that before I bring him into my fresh slice of Hell."

"Hey, we're not that bad." Ukitake chimed in from his place behind the counter. "I mean .. we have our moments, but we're not bad."

"Let me meet his family first." Rukia said, closing her eyes and trying to relax into her seat. The thought of Ichigo meeting her brother was terrifying enough, but the whole family? No. That would break him and then he would never come back. "And then we'll talk."

"Probably for the best." Rangiku nodded, standing up and making her way over to the counter, stopping next to Rukia and crinkling her nose. "Rukia dear, when's the last time you had a meal?"

"A few days ago." Rukia turned up to look at Matsumoto, her eyes going wide. "Is it noticeable."

"It's getting there." Matsumoto smiled down at the shorter woman, ruffling her hair a bit before making her way back behind the counter where the 'specialty' drinks were. "Let's get something in you before you really hurt someone."

XXxxxXXXxxxXX

Ichigo opened up his texts again for the fifth time that day, opening up the specific conversation between him and Short Stack. His thumb hovered over the keypad, ready to type something to her, ready to say anything, but he just couldn't think of anything, and each time, he would turn his phone off, and slide it back down into his pocket. He didn't want to seem too eager, but at the same time, he felt this pull, this urgent need to talk to the short woman of his dreams. Literally.

He couldn't get her off of his mind last night after he got back from the apartment, falling into an easy sleep. The nightmares were gone, and instead, she was there. He dreamt of Rukia, of their date, of the millions of different ways the night could have gone, but most importantly, he dreamt of the future, and every thought he had of where he wanted to be, Ichigo couldn't picture a world without her in it.

And so, he pulled out his phone again and stared at the keypad, his thumb hovering over a letter while he stared at the little blinking line and the taunting piece of text that just sat there, goading him into saying something.

 _Type a message…_

It just glared at him, daring him to say something, anything. But what was there to say? He didn't want to be typical, 'Hey I had a great time' wasn't enough. 'I miss your lips' was a bit too creepy. 'I dreamt about you last night' was pushing the edge of comfortable. 'I can't get you off my mind' was far too high school for his taste. So what did he say?

Finally, he just typed out the first thing that he could think of to ask her, hitting the send button and not bothering to look back. It was out there, and there was no taking it back now.

 _How did you sleep?_

Simple? Sure. But it worked, and now Ichigo could stop staring at his phone and go about his day. He had to get to work, and luckily, with how well he had slept, he knew that he could get to the building on time today. Ichigo got dressed quickly, his toothbrush still in his mouth when he came out of his room to see Ishida laying on the couch, snoring like a chainsaw.

Ichigo had no idea how late his friend had been up, but when he had gotten back from his date, Ishida was nowhere to be seen, and Ichigo had been so tired that he had gone to bed almost immediately. He didn't know when his friend got back, only that, like always, he never heard the man come and go. Making his way back into the bathroom, Ichigo threw his toothbrush into the sink before making his way to the front room and pulling a blanket over his friend to keep him warm.

They were brothers, they looked out for each other. Always.

It had been the pledge they had made as children, the two becoming inseparable. Ichigo knew everything about Ishida's life, and vice versa. The two knew each other's darkest secrets, and while they had moments where they would end up at each other's throats, in the end, they came back to this moment right here, taking care of each other.

Sighing, Ichigo stood and made his way out of the apartment, closing the door as quietly as he could behind him before making his way out of the complex and towards his work. That's when he felt his phone buzz in his pocket, and a feeling welled up in his chest, one he hadn't felt in a very, very long time.

Pulling out his phone from his pocket, he looked at the notification that he had a new message and couldn't stop the smirk from coming across his face. She had gotten back to him pretty quick, and now all of those fears about seeming too eager floated away.

 _Slept good. Family woke me up too early. How about you?_

Ichigo quickly tapped back a message before sliding his phone into his pocket. He got to work on time, to the surprise of everyone there, and he didn't look like an absolute zombie today either. His eyes weren't bloodshot or sunken, he had managed to actually eat a meal, or two, before starting his shift. Keigo and Mizuiro were shocked when he actually joined them for a conversation, even going so far as to joke with the two of them before he made his way off to his deliveries.

Through the whole day though, everyone noticed that Ichigo was glued to his phone. He kept pausing conversations to message someone, and even on his deliveries Ichigo managed to find a few moments to send a message to Rukia. It was just as easy for them to text back and forth as it was to hold a conversation when they were face to face. The two talked all day, about anything, and everything. Ichigo learned that a few more members of her family had come to stay with them, and she had been telling them bits and pieces about the new additions. He had been sharing stories of his work with her, even sending her a few pictures of the sights that he saw as he peddled around the city.

By the end of the day, as Ichigo was putting his helmet away in his locker, he knew that tonight he would end up sleeping just as soundly as he had the night before. His phone buzzed on the bench behind him, another message from Rukia, and this time, it was her that asked the big question.

 _When can I see you next?_

Ichigo stared at the message for a few long moments, happiness filling him. She wanted to see him again. It was obvious to everyone watching the two of them text back and forth all day like teenagers that they were going to have to meet up again, Nanao and Matsumoto even mocking the short girl whenever they saw her on her phone. Ichigo couldn't see that though, all he could see were the snide glances from Kisuke and the little knowing smirks. Even Keigo and Mizuiro were joining in on the fun, asking about the new lady in Ichigo's life.

It seemed perfectly obvious to everyone but Ichigo and Rukia that they were meant for a third date.

 _I have a day off next Tuesday_

The response was almost instantaneous.

 _Perfect. You're taking me dress shopping again, Strawberry_

The thought of buying up every store was, in Ichigo's mind, completely annoying, but in the end he'd get to do it with Rukia. And that was what really mattered, wasn't it?

 _I'll see you Tuesday then, Short Cake_


End file.
